Tied Together
by Fijah
Summary: When getting to know each other young, Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey form a relationship that many envy, so their parents arrange for them to be wed when they're older. But a tragic accident happens which seperates them, while not knowing about the arrangement. Sixteen years later, they meet again, and Ana sees a new side of her future husband, a BSDM side.
1. Chapter 1

_Flashback, September 14 1989._

"_Look at her, she is so beautiful. She's the light of my life, now that Frank is gone", Carla Lambert sobbed to her friend. September 10, her baby girl had been born. Anastasia Rose Lambert. Her friend, Grace Trevelyan-Grey, looked at her with a small smile on her face. She understood her friend's feeling, and the difficulty to stay positive even though she gave birth to her daughter only a few days ago. Because the day after Anastasia's birth, September 11, Franklin Lambert died due to a car accident on his way to the hospital. _

_It was a hard time, not only for the grieving women, but also for the country. Franklin A. Lambert was the owner of Seattle Times together with his wife and one of the most successful men in the country. He was also a generous and humbled man, who didn't take anything in life for granted. Carla and Frank met while studying and fell in love after a few months of friendship. They married in 1983, while they both were 24. Two years later, Frank took over the Seattle Times and met the Grey family during an interview. Carrick Grey and Grace Trevelyan-Grey soon became close friends with the couple, and they were often seen together the following years. Carrick and Grace already had a son from adoption, Elliot Grey, and they were in the process of adopting another son. This made Carla and Ray wish for a child of their own, and they started trying in 1987, the same year as the Greys adopted four-year-old Christian Grey._

_Two years later, their wish for a child came true, Carla was pregnant. It was a relatively easy pregnancy, and when Carla was five months pregnant, they found out that they were having a girl. Both the Franklins and the Greys were ecstatic about the news, especially because the Greys were just about to adopt the third and final child in their family, Mia Grey. So in the following months, the women went baby-shopping and prepared themselves for their girls along with their husbands. Mia arrived August 4, and she made Carla long for her unborn daughter even more. And September 10 1989, Anastasia Rose Lambert came in to the world. Her father held her once before his death, and you could see all the love for his little girl in his eyes. But faith had other plans for the little family and the next day, he was taken away from his wife and daughter. _

"_I know you miss him Carla, we all do. But at least you have Anastasia, and she will always be with you", Grace said, while trying to support her friend. She was also missing Frank, who was like her brother, but she knew she had to stay strong for Carla._

"_But what if something happens to Ana? What if she's involved in an accident in a few years, then I'll lose her too! Grace, I wouldn't survive without her. She's my everything, and if something happens to her, I'll die!", Carla broke down in tears and Grace hurried to her friend's side to support her. She took Anastasia in her arms and let her friend cry her heart out on her shoulder. A few minutes late, a knock was heard and Christian stepped in to the room. He was now six years old, and had just started to communicate with his adoptive parents._

"_Mom, dad was asking if everything is alright. We heard Aunt Carla cry in here", Christian said while slowly walking towards his new mother and her friend. _

"_Actually, I could use a few minutes to speak with your father, could you be a good boy and stay here with Aunt Carla? It'll only be a few minutes, but I'll let you hold Anastasia and when we come home, you'll get a big chocolate bar", Grace said and smiled slightly. She saw Christian hesitating, but eventually he nodded and Grace put Ana in his awaiting embrace. She looked at her son holding the baby in his arms, and smiled at the sight before leaving to find her husband._

_Christian looked at the baby in his arms, she was asleep but started to stir. She opened her eyes and Christian saw a pair of breathtaking blue eyes looking at him. They reminded him of his biological mother and her destiny, but this little girl was so innocent. He didn't want her to be harmed in life, and even though she was a baby and he was only six, he wanted to protect her from everything bad in the world. Suddenly, she started to cry. Christian panicked, he didn't know what to do to calm her down, and then Carla spoke to him._

"_Christian, could you give me Anastasia?", she asked. "She's probably hungry, so she'll stop crying if I feed her". Christian walked up to Carla and gave Anastasia to her, at the same time, his mother came in to the room again._

"_Christian, it's time to go home now", Grace told him, but he didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay with Ana, to make sure that she was safe and couldn't be harmed._

"_Mom, will Anastasia be safe if I leave her here?", Christian asked in a small voice. Both Carla and Grace were confused, this was the first time he'd met her and yet, Christian was extremely protective of her. _

"_Of course she will be safe here, why are you asking sweetheart?", Grace asked. Christian had just recently started to open up to his family, and this behavior wasn't something either Grace or Carrick had seen from him in two years._

"_But what if she starts crying? Or if anything happens to her while I'm away?", Christian asked with worry in his eyes. He wanted his mom and aunt to understand his need to protect this little girl, no matter what happens. _

_Carla looked at Christian closely, and she saw the fear and worry in his eyes. For the first time since Frank died, she felt hope. Someone did care for her daughter just as much as she did, and it was Christian Grey. Suddenly, an idea popped in to her head. She couldn't wait to tell Grace of her idea, but she couldn't talk about it with Christian in the room. She, Grace and Carrick needed to talk alone. _

"_Christian, I assure you that Ana will be just fine. In fact, I could bring her over to your house tomorrow if you want to play with her", Carla said with a smile upon her face. _

"_That would be awesome! Can they come, mom? Please", Christian begged his mother, while she watched him with an amused smile. _

"_Of course! But you have to be very gentle and careful with Anastasia, okay?", Grace said to a beaming Christian. His face soon turned serious, while nodding his head to the last part of the question. Grace watched him as he started to look at the girl in Carla's arms again. Then he walked up to her and gave Anastasia a kiss on her forehead._

"_Good night Anastasia. I'll see you tomorrow", he said with a small smile before walking out the door with his mother._

_The next day._

_An eager Christian started to play a happy melody on the piano. In a few minutes, Aunt Carla and Anastasia would pull up in to the driveway and he was going to play with her the entire afternoon! A honk was heard, and he immediately stopped playing, and went to the door to greet them._

"_Good Afternoon Christian, how are you today?", Carla asked but she never received an answer, Christian turned all his attention to Ana right away. Carla watched him with a smile on her face, and slowly put her daughter in his embrace. Christian smiled, and went in to the living room with Carla following him. Carrick and Grace saw them entering the room, and as Christian played with Anastasia in a corner in the big room, the grown-ups talked about their children. _

"_I've never seen Christian so protecting about anyone, not even Mia", Grace stated, and her husband agreed with a nod. _

"_I feel like I can trust him with my daughter, I mean, look at him!", Carla said, while pointing to Christian. "The look on his face shows that he will do whatever it takes to keep her safe, which is all I could ever ask for her. He makes her happy as well, when you left the room, she started to cry". A small giggle filled the room, and they turned their attention to their children. Christian made funny faces to Ana, who giggled at the boy. The sight not only warmed the heart of Carla, but also Grace and Carrick. They'd worried about him ever since he arrived to them, and now he showed a different side of himself for the first time. _

"_I think they would be good for each other in the future, don't you?", Carla asked in a small voice. She expected them to react with shock and a bit of anger for suggesting an arranged marriage between their children, but instead, she saw them looking at each other with smiles on their faces. _

"_Maybe we should discuss the matter in my office, don't you think ladies?", Carrick said, while standing up with his wife. Carla stood up with a huge smile on her face, and followed the Greys to discuss the future for their children. _

_An hour later, they came out with a contract signed and smiles on their faces. But Grace suddenly stopped, and Carrick looked at her with a worried expression on his face. _

"_What is it, dear?", he asked. "What if we made the wrong decision? What if he'll hate us in the future?", Grace asked with worry in her eyes. Carrick looked at her with love in his eyes, and slowly smiled at her. "Grace, everything will be fine in the future. And Christian and Anastasia will be…". "Come quick, you have to hear this!", Carla whispered to them and went back to the living room. They followed her confused, but when they came in to the living room, their heart skipped a beat. Grace and Carrick saw their son sitting with Ana by the piano and talking to her._

"_I know that the world is big and scary, but I will protect you against all the danger, I promise. You might not understand me, but I'll always protect you", Christian promised. "You are so pretty and young, and nothing will ever happen to you as long as I'm there. I will make you happy forever, I know it". Carrick, Grace and Carla watched the scene in front of them with huge smiles across their faces, and all the worries and doubts went away. They knew that they'd made the right decision._

_7 years later, 3 December 1996._

_Two years after Ana was born, Carla married Raymond Steele, and he became Anastasia's step-father. Carla still owned the Seattle Times, and Ray became the co-owner. The Greys and the Steeles were still close, even though they didn't get together as much as they used to. Ana was seven, and she was a wonderful little girl. She was much like her late father; she had his vibrant blue eyes and she loved to read. Her brown, wavy hair bounced on her shoulders and she was extremely beautiful and smart for her age. _

_Christian had changed quite drastically. He was a tempered child with a lot of problems, and he went to therapy every week. He'd been expelled from two schools, and started a fight almost every day. The only time he behaved was when the Steeles visited, there was something about Anastasia that made him calm. He was still protective around her, especially when his brother Elliot teased them. Christian would yell at his brother and make him leave if Ana was upset. _

_It had been a while since the Steeles visited, but today they were coming. Christian was excited, it had been almost three months since he'd seen Ana, but she was on her way now. Suddenly, the phone disturbed his thoughts and he heard his mother answer._

"_Hi Ray, are you on your way?", Grace asked with a smile. But Christian saw his mothers smile turn in to a frown. "What do you say? Please tell me this is a joke!", she said while starting to cry. Christian wondered what'd happen, were they late or something? But when he saw the look on his mother face, he quickly called after his father._

"_Christian, what's wrong?", Carrick asked worried, but Christian just pointed at Grace. Carrick saw his wife crying, and ran to be by her side. She didn't stop crying for an hour, and Carrick and their children tried to comfort her. Eight-year-old Mia walked up to her mother and gave her a hug._

"_Mommy, why are you crying? I don't want you to be sad", she said and that made Grace smile slightly. But she knew that she had to break the awful news she'd recently heard to her husband and children. _

"_Mommy's sorry that she worried you all, but I have bad news from Uncle Ray", Grace said, and the family listened carefully. "When Aunt Carla went to the bank today, a couple of men tried to rob the bank. All the costumers were held hostage, and the men had guns. To show the police that they were serious, they started to shoot. A bullet hit Carla, and they couldn't save her…", Grace's voice broke and she started crying again. Everyone were shocked, they couldn't believe what'd happened. "Mom, what did Ray say? Is Anastasia okay, and when do they come today?", Christian asked anxiously. "Oh honey, I know you miss Ana, but they won't come. Ray said another thing, they're moving from Seattle", she said and broke down. Carrick rushed to her side and let he cry against his shoulder. He was heartbroken as well, but he knew he had to be strong for his family's sake. _

_Christian couldn't believe it, his Anastasia was gone. He ran up to his room in a rage, ignoring his family's pleas for him to calm down. The only person that made him feel happy and needed was gone .He went to his room, and walked up to his walk-in closet. In there, he opened a hidden box and started to drink some of his father's brandy. He wanted to forget and feel nothing, and just kept drinking until he passed out._

_He didn't know that at the same time, a sad girl sat in the passenger seat of her father's car, crying her heart out. This was supposed to be a happy day; instead her whole world had fallen apart. This wasn't right, she wanted it to be a nightmare. Soon she would wake up to her mother's laugh, and then they were going to visit the Grey family. She was suppose to meet Christian, the boy who always made her feel safe and secure. But now, she just wanted to forget everything that was connected with Seattle and the life she once connected with her now deceased mother. She just left the memories behind, wanting to start a new life._

_Present day, September 10 2012_

"I am WHAT?!"

**AN:**

**Hi, this is my first story, and I would really like some R&R to see if you like it. I will post another chapter this week, so I hope you like it! **


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_

Panic rose within her, it was like she lost the ability to breath by herself. A part of her brain thought how funny it is that in a few seconds, your whole world can change so drastically. But her heart, body and soul showed a completely different emotion. Anger. She couldn't believe it, this was supposed to be _her_ day, and within seconds, it was ruined.

"Why did you tell me this now? And who did she think she was, making that decision for me?!", twenty three-year-old Anastasia Rose Steele yelled in anger. Her step-father, Ray Steele, watched her cautiously. He knew that her reaction to the news broken to her that day wasn't going to be good, but he never imagined it as this bad. The living room that used to be nicely cleaned was now a mess with photos, papers, plates and glasses all over the place. And even though he thought that his daughter overreacted, he also understood her fury.

"It's been so long, sixteen _fucking_ years, and _now_ I get to hear about this?! It's _my_ life, my decision and now she can't even explain anything… Not that I would care, maybe it's good that she's gone!", she yelled, but immediately regretted her words. Ana broke down in tears on the big couch in the middle of the big room, and Ray went to her side, concerned and supportive to the girl that was his daughter in every way but the biological way. He developed her in to a hug, to show her that he was there for her.

"Ana, sweetheart. I know this is a stupid question, but how do you feel?", Ray asked, and her earned a very small smile from Ana. But the smile disappeared quickly, and a confused frown was formed on her face. "It was a stupid question, but honestly, my answer isn't much better. I don't know how I feel, it's so confusing. I mean, how would you feel if someone made this decision for you? It's so weird, because this is supposed to be a natural step in your life, not something that is decided", Ana sighed and leaned on to her father's shoulder for support. But she knew that he didn't know so much about this, because he wasn't in the decision-making process.

"Sweetheart, I know that it's hard to understand, it's hard for me as well", Ray started. "But as your mother and godparents made this decision, they must have had their reasons. I mean, even I saw that you had a special both when you were younger and…" "So special so they _arranged a marriage between us_?!", Ana yelled, and stood up from her father's embrace. "They decided it based on an interaction when he was seven and I was a few days old, that's _fucking_ insane!"

Ray saw the tears forming in her eyes again, and he also stood up and took her in his arms again, not knowing what else to say or do. It was as Ana said, very strange that his wife and her best friends took the decision of marriage between their children, especially since Ana was only five days old. But he couldn't ignore the fact that his wife had been right, the bond between the two children was amazing. Wherever Ana was, she had a shadow protecting her: Christian Grey. And when it came to Ana's happiness, she was always glowing with happiness when she spent time with Christian. Despite their age, they were always together, and they made each other happy. He remembered Ana's reaction to both her mother's death and leaving the one boy that made her happy. She was devastated. Ray also remembered the last thing he heard from Grace: "_It's like Christian has lost his will to live, without Anastasia here, he's lost. He drinks and gets in to fights, and tries to forget everything that's connected to her. But I understand that you both need to move on, so we all wish you the best of luck in the future."_

He looked at Ana, and his heart broke. Her face was tearstained and her beautiful blue eyes were red and swollen. And he silently wished that his wife still lived, and could help him in this situation. She would explain everything to Ana, and they would still live in Seattle, close to the Grey's. But he was alone in this, and almost as confused as Ana.

Ana released herself from Ray's arms and gave him a kiss on the cheek as a thank you for being there for her. "I'm going to my room for a while, I need some space to think about everything", she whispered and Ray kissed her on her head. "Do that, I just got an email from the guys, and I'm needed at the garage for a few hours. But when I come home, we can go out for a nice dinner at your favorite place later tonight. Does that sound good?", Ray asked and looked at her, showing her that he could stay if he needed him. A few years after they moved to Portland, Oregon, Ray started a garage for cars and motorcycles which had become successful during the years. Ana knew how much the garage meant for him, even though she knew that he would stay if she asked him, she knew that he would be happier in the garage than in the house. "You can go, I'm fine. I'll see you later", Ana said, then went up the stairs of their house and in to her private space, her room.

Ten minutes later Ana heard the front door slam shut and she knew she was alone in their house, next thing she knew, she was crying. She thought that she hadn't anymore tears after crying the whole day, but she was proved wrong. Ana couldn't believe that her mother wanted her to marry a man she knew until she was six years old, it was insane! And to find out this information on her birthday, let's just say that this was one of the worst days of her life. Ever since she was ten, she had always dreamt of finding the man of her dreams, and marrying him and living happily together for the rest of her life. But apparently, her own mother had had other plans for her.

And her childhood dream of her own prince charming, it hadn't come true at all, quite the opposite. During her years at WSU studying English Literature, she hadn't found anyone that swept her off her feet. She had had a few boyfriends, but they only lasted a couple of months, and she never fell in love with them. But now she desperately tried to remember the boy, now man that she was supposed to have an amazing bond with as a little girl. She was only six years old when she last saw him, and she barely remembered him. She remembered being happy with him, but she couldn't remember a face. She only knew his name: _Christian Grey_. It sounded strangely familiar, but she couldn't connect the name to anyone she knew.

Her eyes wandered around her room, this room was like her oasis. It was painted in pale beige and in the middle of the back wall in the room stood her queen size bed. Then a whole wall was full with bookshelves, filled with books of all kind, with a reading chair beside the shelves. Books were truly her passion in life, every time she opened a new book, she found herself in a new world full of adventures. Ana then turned away from her books and looked at the part of her room that looked like an office, with a Macbook Pro on her computer desk, and a piece of paper beside it which changed her whole life. Slowly she rose from the bed and stood beside her desk, just looking at the paper. She took it in her shaking hands, and went back to her bed. She took a deep breath and started reading the letter from her mother, just like she did this morning.

_My dearest Ana._

_My darling, first I want you to know how much I love you. You are my only daughter, and even though we're separated now when you're reading this letter, know that I'm always with you in your heart, and me and your father are watching over you with proud smiles on both on our faces. _

_But as I wrote, we are separated now, and sadly we got separated too early in your life. The only thing that makes my heart strong is that you have two men in your life that I know that I can trust to keep you happy. You might know which persons I'm writing about, but I have different reasons for trusting these men with your life. I want you to understand these reasons, and I also have to write something that you need to know._

_Of course, the first man is Ray, or as you call him, daddy. He has been there for the last four years of our lives, and he has made both of us happy. I know that you're his daughter in every way for him, and between you two, blood isn't thicker than water. I hope you'll cherish everything he's doing for you, and that you'll always have a strong father-daughter relationship. I love him so much, and I know that he loves the both of us. So keep him in your life and don't forget him on your way to greatness. _

_The second man is very special, I think he's your best friend and a huge reason to your happiness. I'm sure that you know who I'm talking about: Christian Grey. Honey, ever since you've been born, he's been there for you through thick and thin. If you're upset, he'll do anything to make you happy and safe. And you make him happy, not only had I noticed this, but also your god-parents, Grace and Carrick. You two have an amazing and unbreakable bond that I hope will last forever. _

_This leads to a decision that you must know. I hope you understand our reasons for taking the decision, and I hope that both you and Christian understand why we did this. When your father died when you were newborn, I was scared. I thought that we would be unprotected, and you would grow up without a fathers figure. But something gave me hope. You'll probably think that it's Ray I'm writing about, but it's Christian. He'll do anything to protect you, which he proved when you were only a few days old. And he's continued to prove that to us during these six years. He loves you, protects you, respects you and makes you happy. These are a few reasons of why I, Grace and Carrick made this decision. We arranged for you and Christian to be wed when you're older._

_I hope you understand, and I hope that you and Christian will grow old together, as happy as you've been during these six years._

_Honey, this letter is coming to its end, even though I want to write so much more to you. But unfortunately, this is it. Please, always remember that you have my unconditional love, always. And if you ever need me, I'll be there, in your heart. _

_I love you_

_Your mommy_

No matter how many times Ana read the letter, tears always came to my eyes when she read about the arranged marriage. She needed to talk to someone, so she called her best friend and roommate from WSU, Katherine "Kate" Kavanagh.

After hearing her best friend telling her she needed to talk, Kate left her apartment right away, wondering why Ana was upset on her birthday. She'd heard on her voice that something was wrong, but she had no idea what it was. Fifteen minutes later, she rang the doorbell on the Steele's house. She saw Ana when the door was opened, still tearstained from reading the letter, immediately developing her in a hug. The two women closed the door and went up to Ana's room to talk.

"Ana, spill. What's wrong?", Kate said as soon as they came up to the room. Ana sighed, she knew that Kate was worried, but she didn't know how to tell her everything. So she simply gave her the letter, and observed her facial expressions the whole time.

"Are you serious?! You are arranged to be married?! And to Christian Grey?! Oh my fucking god!" Ana was confused, Kate knew who Christian Grey was?

Kate saw her friend, and took her hand, supporting her. "I'm sorry sweetie, I'm so unsupportive. I know that it was your dream to find your own Prince Charming… Although, Christian _fucking_ Grey is kind of close", Kate added, and Ana's confusion grew.

"Kate, how do you know who Christian Grey is?", She asked in a small voice, and she saw her friend drop her jaw. "Ana, don't you know who he is? Give me your computer now!"

After searching after him on Google, Ana gasped. He was the youngest, most successful entrepreneur in the country, and fucking rich! She didn't look at any pictures, only read about him. He was, as her mom wrote, six years older than her. He owned a company, Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc.

"He also gives millions to WSU every year, I thought you knew who he was", Kate said in a small voice. Then she started thinking, and whatever she thought about, made her smile.

"What are you thinking about Kate?" The smile only increased, and she excused herself for a few minutes, while making a phone call to her boss. Kate was a great reporter at the Portland Tribune, and she was excited for a huge interview that would take place in two days. Ana hadn't got any details about the person she was going to interview, but she became more and more curious about it, when she heard Kate ending the phone call after ten minutes.

"Kate, what's going on?" "Pack your bags Ana, you and I are going on a road trip, now", Kate said with a smile, leaving her best friend more confused than ever. "What are you talking about? I can't leave, Ray doesn't know, and…" "Ana, the person I going to interview is Christian Grey, so pack your bags. My boss booked a double suit in my hotel for us and you're coming with me to Seattle!"

Ana's face paled, _Seattle_. The city she was raised in, and the city that destroyed her life. But she knew what she had to do. "Let's go, we're meeting my future husband tomorrow", she said and went in to her closet with a grinning Kate following her.

When Ray came home that night, there was no sign of Ana anywhere in their home. He went in to her room, only to find it empty. But something caught his eye. On her desk, beside the letter that changed her life, was a note addressed to him.

_Dad._

_I'm leaving Portland for a few days with Kate, and I'm actually going to Seattle. I need answers, and I hope to find some there. Kate has an interview with Christian, so I'll meet him tomorrow. I hope you understand why I'm doing this, and please, don't get mad on me. I'll call when we're in Seattle. _

_I love you_

_Ana_

**Wow, thank you all for the amazing response, I'm really glad that you like it! And here is the second chapter, as promised, within the week. I hope you like it, and please, keep R&R! It means so much to me! **

**/Fijah**


	3. Chapter 3

After the long drive to Seattle and calling her father to tell him the she's okay, Ana looked around the hotel room she and Kate lived in. Then she looked at her best friend who was already asleep, with the explanation of needing her beauty sleep for the interview. Ana slowly walked up to a window in the room and looked over the city, which seemed to vibrate with life, even though it only was a Thursday night. She couldn't help but being nervous about meeting him, which she thought was absolutely normal in her situation. When she read about him on the internet, she only found facts about his business and donations to different foundations. She also saw a few photos of him, and couldn't help thinking that he looked like an Adonis, he was freaking hot. But never once did he appear in a photo with a woman, a thing that Kate also noticed. Maybe he didn't like women, and she would be trapped in an unhappy marriage for the rest of her life with a homosexual man. With a sigh, she decided to try to sleep as well, and she went to bed. It took a few minutes, but when Ana finally succumbed to sleep, the last thoughts on her mind was about a very distant past with a small copper-haired boy.

He sighed just after finishing a phone call with a business partner in Thailand. Even though the business went very well, Christian couldn't help but feeling an odd feel in his stomach. But he couldn't figure out if there was something wrong with him. His thoughts were interrupted by his PA, Andrea.

"Sir, I just wanted to remind you of the interview by Katherine Kavanagh from the Portland Tribune in half an hour. And the newspaper called yesterday evening, she'll bring an assistant to the interview if that's alright", Andrea said and Christian nodded sharply at her, giving her the message that she could leave. She left and Christian went to look at some emails. He had forgotten about the interview, but he had no choice, he had to do it. The Portland Tribune and Ms. Kavanagh had been very persistent and after months of requesting an interview, he agreed. He had looked her up, and he connected the name to WSU, the school he donated money to each year. She was a gifted writer and a determined young woman, qualities he admired. But he didn't know anything about an assistant, that must've been a last minute addition. He forgot to ask Andrea about the name, but realized that he would be speaking to Ms. Kavanagh only and not her assistant. Suddenly he heard a knock by the door and he saw Andrea walk in. "Ms. Kavanagh and her assistant Ms. Steele is here now". "Tell them to come in", Christian said and stood up from his chair preparing to meet the ladies. The first thing he saw was Ms. Kavanagh, and she walked right up to him and gave him a firm handshake, impressing him. Then looked back at the door, where a brunette walked in. She appeared to be clumsy, as she fell to the floor. But as he went to her to help her up, he looked in to her eyes. He couldn't believe it! There they were, the blue eyes that had haunted him since he was six years old. In front of him stood the person that his revolved around when he was younger: _Anastasia Steele_.

_Flashback_

_Twelve-year-old Christian Grey looked all over his backyard with a huge smile on his face. He knew that she was there, but the garden was huge, so he couldn't know where to look. He called her name, and asked his parents, but they didn't know where she'd gone. Christian ran down to the boat house, but there was no sign of her. Where could she be?_

_He started to call her name once again, but no reply. He looked up in to the sky, it was getting darker and he grew more worried. _

"_Please, tell me where you are!", Christian yelled frantically, worried that something might had happened to her. She was the one thing in his life that truly mattered, the one person that gave his life meaning. He'd given her a promise the second time he met her, she only a few days old at the time, and he didn't intend to break it this easily. He ran toward the house, asking the grown-ups once again if they knew where she was, but he got the same answer as before. It felt like a big stone pressed against his heart in his chest, he needed to find her. But he couldn't. He called her name, and suddenly, he heard a small cry._

"_Where are you?", he yelled, running as fast as he could in the direction of her cry. Down by the water, in a tiny shed by the boat house, he heard it more clearly. Then he saw her, sitting by a tree behind the shed that made her disappear from the rest of the world. She was in pain, clutching her right foot tightly. Christian ran to her and gave her a hug, whispering comforting words in her ear. _

"_Christian, my foot hurts! I can't walk", she cried in to his shoulder. "I know, I know. But it will be better; my mom can take a look at your foot and help you", he said, trying to comfort her. She looked up at him. "I thought you'd given up on me, I know it was just hide and seek, but still", she said sadly, looking away from him as soon as she uttered the words. But Christian knew about her insecurities, and just turned her head towards his again, making her contact her teary eyes with his. He looked in to her beautiful blue eyes, before he spoke again. "I will never give up on you; I'll always find you, Anastasia."_

_End flashback_

"Excuse me, I'm a bit clumsy", she said as he offered his hand to her. He was a bit absent after his reunion with the girl of his childhood dreams. She however, did not appear to know who he was, which he was grateful for. He didn't want her to remember him, not now.

"No problem, Ms…?", Christian replied politely, offering his hand again for a handshake with the woman in front of him. "Anastasia Steele, a pleasure to meet you, sir", she said, and he felt all the air in his lungs disappear. The way she said the word: _sir._ It was like she was born to fit in to his world. And as they shook hands, he felt something between them. The first thing he thought about was sexual tension, but still, the feeling felt different. He dropped her hand quickly and turned over to Ms. Kavanagh, who seemed to have observed the moment between him and Ms. Steele. "So, shall we get this interview started? I'm a busy man, and I have limited time, so can we start now?", he asked the blonde-haired woman, who nodded quickly. "Of course Mr. Grey, let's get this started."

He looked even better in person then in the photos she'd seen. With his copper hair, strong jawline, full lips and his intense grey eyes, you couldn't help but being affected by his extremely good looks. She'd made the worst first expression ever by falling in to his office, but he'd helped her. She thought that during the time she hesitated to take his hand, he'd looked very distant and deep in thought, like he was remembering something. Did he recognize her? She wasn't sure if he did, but she racked though her brain, trying to remember him as a boy that cared for her when they were younger. As she took his hand, she felt a spark between them. That wasn't the only thing she noticed, it was when she talked to him. After the word "sir" was uttered, she heard him gasp. Like she'd surprise him with her choice of word. But she only wanted to be polite, so she ignored it. Suddenly he turned away from her, anxious to get the interview started. That was the thing that Ana reacted on, she'd heard from Kate that he hated to do interviews, and now, he wanted to do this one? It was weird, she thought, as she saw Kate and Mr. Grey talking. The interview had started, but she wasn't paying attention, she walked around his office instead. Noticing the beautiful paintings on the walls, she thought that the man that she was supposed to marry had a good eye when it comes to art. Then she heard Kate's question.

"Are you gay, Mr. Grey?"

Ana's jaw dropped, the question she'd thought of yesterday, was asked to him by an unashamed Kate Kavanagh. Then she looked at him, anticipating his answer. She saw that his eyes got a bit bigger before he composed his facial expression. Then he turned his head towards her, and her heart pounded wildly in her chest. He looked her square in the eyes, intense grey and anxious blue. "No, I am not", he answered and returned his attention to Kate, while Ana blushed. The tension in the moment that happened a few seconds ago had almost been too much for her to bear. Why did he look at her? And why did her heart beat so fast under his powerful stare? She took a moment, trying to compose herself, and then she saw Christian and Kate shaking their hands, informing her that the interview was over. She walked up to Kate and helped her with her things, like an assistant should.

"Thank you for the interview Mr. Grey, I will email it to you when it's done", Kate said in a professional voice. "No problem Ms. Kavanagh, it was my pleasure. I hope you'll have a pleasant trip back to Portland", he said equally professional. "Oh, we'll stay in Seattle a few more days, we go back on Monday. Unfortunately we must go now, we have plans for the afternoon. Goodbye Mr. Grey", Kate said and left the office to retrieve their coats from Andrea. Ana felt uncomfortable, but took a small step towards him and reached out her hand. "Goodbye Mr. Grey, it was a pleasure meeting your sir", she said in a small voice, waiting for him to shake her hand. He shook it and once again, she felt a spark. "The pleasure's all mine, goodbye Ms. Steele. I hope you'll have a pleasant stay in Seattle." She nodded her head and walked out to Kate. Together they left the building, Ana more confused than when she went there earlier this morning.

A few hours later, the two women drove to a neighborhood, just outside Seattle. The closer to their destination they came, the more nervous Ana became. They were on the way to the Grey mansion, going to visit her godparents for the first time in sixteen years.

"Ana, what are you thinking about?", Kate said, interrupting her thoughts. Ana sighed and turned her head against her best friend, who was driving. "I'm nervous. I mean, I'm going to meet them for the first time in sixteen years, and they don't even know that I'm coming. And I'm sure they remember me, but I haven't many memories connected to Seattle at all anymore, neither me nor Ray wants to remember it", she answered, then she noticed that the car stood in front of a large gate. _This was it_. Kate rang the bell at the gate and waited for an answer, which came after a minute.

"Hello, who is it?", a female voice said. Kate mouthed "_Talk"_ to her, and Ana took a deep breath. "Is this the Grey family's home?", she asked. "Yes, this is Grace Trevelyan Grey, with whom am I speaking?" "Mrs. Grey, my name is Anastasia Steele, I'm here with my friend Katherine Kavanagh. Can you please let us in?", Ana said quickly, waiting for an answer from her godmother. She was extremely nervous, but then, the gates swung open. Kate drove up the driveway to a huge mansion. It was very obvious that the Grey's were very wealthy, just like her biological parents used to be. Suddenly the car stopped, and Ana saw her best friend getting out of the car, waiting for her to react. Ana followed her, and started to walk towards the front door, where she saw a woman and a man waiting with huge smiles on their faces.

"Ana, darling! You're so grown up, and beautiful! You look so much like Frank and Carla. I've missed you so!", Grace exclaimed and ran to embrace the confused and nervous woman. Her husband chuckled at his wife, and walked up to the two women and smiled. "Hello Anastasia, it's been too long. If you don't remember my name, I'm Carrick", he said in a friendly voice and he embraced her as well. Ana felt a bit overwhelmed, but accepted the love from her godparents. "It's nice to meet both of you again, I'm sorry that our visit is a bit unexpected. And this is my best friend, Katherine Kavanagh. We studied at WSU together." "Nice to meet both of you Mr. and Mrs. Grey, please call me Kate", she said with a smile, and shook their hands. The Grey's smiled and they went to the living room, talking about Ana's life the last sixteen years. But Ana had to know, had to ask.

"Grace, Carrick. You might know that it was my birthday yesterday, and my dad gave me a letter from my mom then. A letter telling me that I am going to marry your son, Christian. I have to know, is this true?", she asked in a small voice. Then she looked up at their faces, which both had a shocked expression. She knew that every word in the letter had been true, she was going to wed Christian Grey. "Yes, it's true. Do you remember him?", Grace asked. "No, I barely remember my childhood in Seattle." "Ana, Christian doesn't know about the arrangement, and right now, we need to keep it that way. If you don't mind of course", Carrick said, and Ana nodded. But when she was about to answer, she heard voice coming from the hallway. A few seconds later, two young adults walked in to the room, stopping in their tracks when they saw that their parents had company. The older one of the siblings, the man, had blonde hair and vibrant blue eyes. He was very handsome, and I saw Kate checking him out. His little sister however, had dark eyes and raven hair, she was a true beauty. She appeared to be the same age as herself, and the man looked to be a year or two older than Christian.

"Mom, dad? Who are you talking to?", the woman asked. "This is our goddaughter Anastasia Steele and her friend Kate Kavanagh, you might remember Ana from when you were younger. She's Carla's daughter. Ana, these are two of our children, Elliot and Mia", Grace said with a smile. Ana looked at the two Grey children, not remembering them as well, but they seemed to know who she was. "Ana, it's great to see you again! I'm Mia, of course. We used to play when we were younger", Mia said and turned to say something to her brother. But he'd walked over to Kate, and started a conversation with her. Mia and Ana both rolled their eyes, seeing them flirting, then started a conversation. Ana enjoyed her visit at the Grey mansion, this family welcomed her back in to their world without a doubt, and she felt a home with them. But then she heard footsteps approaching the living room, and she turned around and saw him with another man. His eyes connected with hers, they were like fire.

"Christian, there you are! As you see, we have very special guests today. This is…", Grace said, but she was interrupted by her son. "Ms. Steele, Ms. Kavanagh. How lovely to see you again", he said coolly. "Nice to see you again Mr. Grey", Ana said in a small voice, not making eye contact with him. "Well, mom and dad. I'm just here to tell you that I won't be able to come to dinner tonight, I have other plans that I must attend. But I will come to the party tomorrow", Christian said, and Carrick walked up to him and followed him and the other man out. "Okay, but don't work too much son. We'll see you tomorrow", Carrick said. Christian looked across the room again, making eye contact with Ana before leaving, making her more confused than after their first meeting. There was something about Christian Grey, and she wanted to know what. But most importantly, she wanted to know if her remember her and if they had a chance at a life together in the future.

Christian walked in to his apartment, seeing a woman's shoes in the hallway. It was quiet, and he walked in to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of white wine. He felt the frustration from meeting Anastasia again, and he needed to get rid of it before the party tomorrow. He knew his parents would invite both her and Ms. Kavanagh, so he needed to have control when he saw them the next time. He drank the rest of the wine, and then walked in to his bedroom. He changed to a pair of jeans and took off his shirt. Then he walked to a room in the apartment in Escala, and opened the door. In there he saw a brunette kneeling by a bed with deep red satin sheets, only dressed in her panties. He walked up to a drawer, and took out some objects, then he walked up to the woman.

"I await your instructions, sir."

**Here is chapter 3! I hope you'll like it. And I just have to thank you for the great response I get, your reviews are amazing and they make me so happy! Next chapter will have more interactions between Ana and Christian, so keep reading. And of course, keep giving me R&R. **

**/Fijah **


	4. Chapter 4

She looked at herself in the mirror. Her once unruly brown was in a nice up do, with a few curls framing her face. She had make-up on, mascara, eyeliner, a neutral lipstick and some rouge. Her dress was a darker shade of green, reached down to the middle of her thigh, and it was made of lace. She matched her outfit with a pair of black high heels and a black purse. She was happy with the way she looked.

"Ana, you look amazing!"

Ana turned around and saw her stunning best friend. Kate was dress in a black halter neck dress, the same length as hers. The halter neck was made of lace, and she had gold accessories, shoes and purse. Her hair was up in a classy bun, and her make-up was mascara and a bright red lipstick. She was truly dressed to impress.

"Kate, you look stunning! Trying to impress someone?", Ana asked with a smirk, enjoying the fact that Kate started to blush. After Christian left yesterday, the flirting between his older brother Elliot and her became obvious. "No… It's going to be a fancy party, and the press will be there, so I might as well dress-up nicely", Kate said, trying to avoid the subject. Ana started to grin, this was the first time her best friend ever became flustered over a man. "Whatever, future Mrs. Elliot Grey", she said, and surprisingly, Kate started to laugh. "That's so rich, when we're not even together. Especially since it comes to the future Mrs. Christian Grey", Kate said while walking out of their hotel room. Ana cursed under her breath, and then ran after her friend.

Christian walked out of his walk-in closet, dressed in a suit with a tie in his hand. He stood in front of the mirror, tying it, as he heard footsteps behind him.

"Sir? Are we going somewhere?" He turned around and looked at the brunette woman in front of him. "Yes Sarah, we are going somewhere, only not together. You are going home, and I'm going to my parents' house", Christian said, and walked out to the living room. He heard footsteps walking around the house, he assumed she was gathering up her things. "Sir, are you sure you want me to leave?", Sarah asked in a small voice, not wanting to upset her master. "Sarah, go home, now! I'll see you at Friday, you can see yourself out", he said in a cold voice, leaving her alone in the living room. He heard the familiar sound of the elevator doors closing, and let out a sigh. As much as he enjoyed Sarah in the playroom, and she was a likable woman, there was something that distracted him. He lacked focus, and even though Sarah didn't seem to notice, it disturbed him.

He walked over to his piano, and before he let his finger work against the piano keys, he looked out over Seattle, deep in thought. Over the last sixteen years, he fought against his childhood memories, tried to bury them. Especially the ones with a certain brown haired and blue-eyed beauty, the girl he'd cared more about than himself. For a long time, he thought he'd succeeded when trying to forget her, but then she entered his life again. He tried to be nonchalant about her presence, but every time they were in the same room, he was drawn to her. _Anastasia Steele_.

He took his eyes of the beautiful view and started to play. An angry piece. The piano was the one thing that always showed Christians true emotions, and now, he was angry but still confused. He poured his anger in to the piece, playing rougher against the keys. He was angry at her, why did she have to come in to his life once again? He'd built up a successful company and he was a dominant, he had control over everything in his life until now. But at the same time as he felt anger, he also felt confusion. He'd never had any emotions towards another human being as strong as the ones he had towards Anastasia, the ones he still have. Feeling another presence in the room, he stopped playing and turned around to see Taylor. "Sir, we are ready to leave now", he said, while Christian rose from the piano. He walked through the room and exited the building, focusing on keeping his control in front of Anastasia tonight.

"Kate, I can't do this."

Outside the car, photographers were standing, taking pictures of all the guests arriving to the party. Ana was shaking, her biological parents were still remembered in Seattle, and they knew that she was coming. "Ana, you _can_ do this! Make your parents and your god-parents proud and show everyone here what a beautiful woman you are!", Kate said with a confident smile. Then the car door opened and there stood Elliot, waiting to escort Kate in with a huge smile on his face. "Hey ladies, you both look stunning, if I may say so myself", he said with a cheeky smile, and Kate started giggling. He put his hand out for her to take, and then he escorted her in to the big mansion. Ana sat in the car, taking a few deep breaths, and then exited the vehicle.

The flashes from the cameras temporarily blinded her, and everyone was calling her name. Ana took another deep breath, and then smiled at the cameras. She hated being in the spotlight. But something behind her distracted the reporters, so she turned around and saw Christian. He looked incredibly handsome, in a simple back tux, white shirt and green tie. It almost looked like they matched each other, which didn't go unnoticed by the photographers.

"Mr. Grey, Miss Steele! Can we have a picture with the two of you?", they shouted. Ana turned to face him, and just smiled at the photographers and stood beside her, placing his hand on her waist. Once again, she felt sparks as soon as he touched her, and she looked up at the intimidating man she was supposed to wed. His facial expression didn't flinch, but she saw something in his eyes, something that indicated that he was affected as well and that he remembered her. Remembering all the photographers surrounding them, she looked at them and smiled. After a few minutes, Christian decided that it was enough, and escorted her inside the door, then walked away with Taylor.

Ana felt a bit hurt that he refused to talk to her, but ignored it, and looked around the mansion. Grace and Carrick had done an amazing job. Even though it was September, they made it look like a summer dream, with different flowers and lanterns placed everywhere. In the garden, tables, a bar and a dance floor was placed. Once again, everything was covered with flowers and lanterns, it was breathtaking. "Ana, there you are!" She turned around and saw Mia in a beautiful marine blue cocktail dress. "Hi Mia, you look beautiful!", Ana said, and Mia laughed. "So do you! Where are you sitting? I think mom and dad placed you at our table, let's go!", she said, and Ana was dragged to a table in the middle. Kate, Elliot, Carrick and Grace were already sitting down and Ana took her place next to Mia. "Ana, you look wonderful! Do you like the party so far?", Grace said with a friendly smile on her face. "Oh, it's wonderful, and everything is so beautiful! Thank you once again for inviting me and Kate, I would love to help out in some way", Ana said, and Mia seemed to lighten up. "You can participate in the first dance auction! It so much fun!", she said enthusiastically. "Sure, why not?", Ana answered and Mia squealed. Then her attention turned, and a grin was formed on her face. "Oh brother dearest, aren't you going to join us?" Ana turned, and she met his gaze, then she realized that he was going to sit next to her. He sat down, and started a conversation with Elliot about a new renovation object. Kate looked at Ana and grinned, she was happy. Ana felt happy for her friend, but she wondered if her trip to Seattle was a good idea. She felt obligated to marry this man, because of her mother and god-parents. And she was extremely attracted to him, there wasn't a woman who wasn't. But he ignored her, like she was a person from the past that he didn't want to remember. She was dragged out of her thoughts by Carrick, who stood up to make a speech. Then the food came, and she started a conversation with Mia and Grace, trying to push her previous thoughts away for the moment.

A few hours later, all the courses were served and a charity auction was just finished, and Mia signaled to Ana that it was time for the first dance auction. The two women, together with a few others went up to the dance floor and the DJ started talking about the ladies. Ana's nerves grew bigger by every second, and now it was time for her. "This, ladies and gentlemen, is our lovely Ana! She goes to yoga every day, and loves a long run in the woods. But it's not only beauty, but also brains! Newly graduated from WSU in English literature, so she'll might give you gentlemen a lesson! We start at one thousand dollars!" Men started to bid on her, and Ana felt her cheeks growing redder. But there was one man who was the highest bidder, and he looked like a real creep. Ana looked at him, and he smirked and winked shamelessly at her. She was disgusted, the bid was now thirty thousand dollars, no one would bid higher than him. "Forty thousand dollars." People gasped and looked at Christian, this was the first time he ever bid on one at the auction. The creep glared at him, and then he looked back at Ana. "Fifty thousand dollars", he said, and smirked again. Everyone looked at Christian, waiting for the next words that would come out of his lips. "One hundred thousand dollars", he said, looking confident while the creep looked crestfallen. "Going once, twice and sold! The wonderful Ana for one hundred thousand dollars!", the DJ said in the microphone, sounding shocked. Christian walked up to her and took her hand in his right, while placing his left hand on her hip. She saw all the other couples from the auctions, including Mia and her partner, lining up on the dance floor, so she placed her right hand on his shoulders. The orchestra looked at Grace and Carrick, after a nod, they started to play.

"Thank you for bidding on me, but I have to ask, why did you do it?", Ana asked in a small voice. He chuckled, and seemed to think about what to say. "You looked horrified when Jeremy was the highest bidder, so I thought I'd help out", he said, and she frowned. She wasn't helpless, and she volunteered. If Jeremy had won the bidding, she'd danced with him, and then left. It wasn't so hard. "Like you were my knight in shining armor?", she said sarcastically. "No, definitely not", he said in a cold voice, leading her across the floor. She became quiet, the coldness in his voice made her think that it was an insult to him. Wasn't him being her savior a good thing? Ana's thoughts about regretting her trip to Seattle reached her mind again, but his voice interrupted her thoughts. "How are you enjoying your stay in Seattle?" She was confused, he made small talk? "It's nice to be back, although I don't remember much from my childhood", she said, sounding melancholy. She truly wished that she would remember her mother, her previous life, and the important people she knew then. Including Christian. From everything she'd heard from Ray, Grace and Carrick, she and Christian were inseparable when they were younger. But now, he was cold to her all the time, and he seemed happy that she didn't remember her life in her home town. "That's too bad, even though I don't remember much from that time either", he said. She noticed that the band played the last notes of the song, and she separated herself from him, clapping. He joined in, and put a smile on his face. Ana looked at him, and their eyes met. "Thank you for the dance, but I have to talk to Kate now. Maybe I'll see you later", she said, and almost ran away from him. He looked confused, and without her noticing, he followed her, feeling his control slipping away from him.

"Kate, there you are! I'm sorry Elliot, but I have to steel her away from you for a few minutes", Ana said with an apologetic smile. "It's alright, go have your girl talk, I think I'm going to dance with my sister", he said and walked in the directions of the dance floor. Kate was almost jumping up and down of her excitement. "He is amazing Ana! He's charming, smart and he likes me! I'm going out with him tomorrow!", she squealed and Ana smiled. Many men didn't want to date Kate, because she was a demanding person, but now she had Elliot. "That's great, I'm really happy for you Kate!", Ana said and hugged her excited friend. Kate calmed down, they went in to one of the rooms and Kate asked how the dance went. "Bad, I think. Not that we didn't dance well, it was the conversation… It was so weird, and ended up being cold talk. Kate, I'm confused", she said. "About what?", Kate said concerned. "I am affected by him, he has incredibly good looks! But he's so cold, and he avoided me during the dinner. Then he kind of rescued me, it's like he's bipolar!" Kate giggled lightly, then looked at her seriously. "Ana, you don't have to do this. Just tell Grace and Carrick how you feel", she said softly. "But Kate, my _mother_ wanted me to do this. It makes me feel obligated to marry him. I really don't know what to do!"

Suddenly the doors went open, and there he was. His eyes were burning with fury, and his hand clutched to his whiskey. "You feel obligated to do _what _with me?", he said with a dangerously soft voice. It was venomous, and it gave Ana chills all over her body. She didn't dare to answer him, afraid of the consequences. But her silence seemed to make him even angrier. "Answer me. I wondered, what do you feel obligated to do to me?!", he shouted, rage boiling in his veins. Grace, Carrick, Elliot, Mia and Taylor ran in to the room, closing the doors so the guests wouldn't notice the fight. "What's going on here?", Carrick demanded to know, while he looked at his son. "I simply asked Anastasia a question, and I want my answer. I believe you all have a part in this as well, so stay", he said. Grace and Carrick looked at each other, looking panicked, while Elliot and Mia looked confused. Christian turned his gaze back on Ana's, and asked her again. "What do you feel obligated to do with me?" Her frightened blue eyes connected with his furious grey ones. "Marry you", she said in a small voice.

Christian turned his gaze to his shocked parents, trying to remain in control. "Mother, Father. An explanation, please", he said, his voice still soft and venomous. Grace looked at her husband, then walked up to her son. "Christian, please understand us. We, together with Carla made a contract after we saw you two together as children. You had this amazing bond that seemed unbreakable, and we made this decision for you two", she said, and tried to take Christians hand. But he backed away from her, his finger clutching his glass. "Why did you do this? We were children! Maybe I thought she was like a sister", he said exasperated. "Christian, you were never like siblings; you always had a greater relationship with Ana than with Elliot and Mia. We did what we thought was right, and it's still very clear that you care for her. If you didn't, you wouldn't have bought that dance", Carrick said.

Christian lost it, his control flew out the window. He threw his glass across the room, making it shatter in to millions of pieces. "Shut the fuck up, you don't know what you're talking about." Then he turned to Ana. "You might feel obligated to marry me, but I have no intension whatsoever to marry you", he said, then he walked out of the room. The people in the room stood still, trying to process the things he'd said. Grace broke down, crying her heart out, while Carrick and Mia tried to comfort her. Elliot took care of a shocked and angry Kate, while Ana just stood there, in the middle of the room. Her confusion increased. The way he acted was extremely hurtful, but in a way, it was liberating. He lost the control, and he showed a bit more of himself. It was a shock, but once, he let go.

"Ana, we're so sorry. He's never acted like this before", Carrick said, showing shame across his face. "It's okay, it was a shock and reacted even worse when I found out", Ana said, and took a deep breath before she continued. "I think I have to go, and I'll go back to Portland the day after tomorrow. Kate, you can stay if you want to, but I need to go home. All the things I've heard have changed, and you can't dwell on the past. So I think it's for the best if I leave. But I would love to keep in contact with you from now on." Grace walked up to her and embraced her tightly. "Ana, we love you like our own daughter, and I understand that you have to leave. Of course we'll keep in contact, and please give Ray our well wishes", she said, and after all the Grey's said good-bye, the only ones left in the room was Ana, Kate and Elliot. "Ana, do you want me to go with you? Because Elliot asked if I wanted to watch a movie, but if you need me, I'll see him tomorrow", Kate said, and Elliot nodded his head to show that he understood her reasons to leave. But Ana shook her head. "No, go enjoy the movie. I'll go back and sleep, I think I need it." "Okay, but call if you need me, and I'll be there", Kate said and hugged her.

Ana left the Grey mansion in her and Kate's car, then she went back to the hotel. She laid down on her bed, and fell asleep right away.

_She felt his weight above her body, and he leaned down, capturing her lips with his. Their tongues fighting, but she pulled away to rip his shirt off. Her dress was quickly thrown away, then his mouth was back on hers. Her finger traced his abs, and a groan came from his mouth. He then started to kiss his way down from her mouth to her neck, and she moaned, feeling the pleasure he gave her. _

_Her fingers made their way down to his pants to unbuckle the belt, and after a bit of struggling, his pants had followed her dress on the floor. He discarded her bra, and starts sucking her nipples. The pleasure increased, her moans grew louder. Then he looked right in her eyes, intense grey and smoldering blue. "Anastasia…", he whispered. Once again he leaned down to kiss her…_

She sat up in bed, panting. Her eyes were wide open and she looked around in the hotel room, feeling confused.

"I just had a sex dream about Christian Grey…"

**Hey Guys!  
Sorry for the long wait, but here is the new chapter, and I hope you like it! Please review, because they seriously make my day! I'll try to be quicker to release the next chapter, but until then, enjoy this! **

**/Fijah**


	5. Chapter 5

Feeling the sun streaming in her face, Ana woke up after a long night without much sleep. Noticing the lack of her best friend, she decided to take a well-deserved shower, she was still in the clothes and make-up from last night. Slowly, she walked in to the bathroom, and she noticed the way she looked. Her make-up was smudged all over her face, and her hair was all over the place. Sighing, Ana took off her dress and turned on the shower. She stepped in and sighed once again with pleasure, feeling the water everywhere. She cleaned her face, and felt the troubles from yesterday go from her mind with the water. It was the first time since she came to Seattle that she truly relaxed.

Right after the shower, the problems from yesterday came over her. She knew that Christian would react badly, but she never thought that he would blame it on her. He'd been furious, which was understandable, but still! She didn't know anything about this, and yet, he blamed her. And Ana, she didn't know what to say or do about the situation, her mind was in chaos. She walked up to her suitcase and pulled up a pair of sweatpants and a top, and then she walked over to her bed and looked at her cellphone. There was a text message from the absent best friend:

Hey Ana!

I hope you're alright, and I'm sorry

I'm not there, but if you need me, I'll

be there. Anyway, I'm out with Elliot

for the day, but call me if you want 

me to come back.

Love you!

Kate xx

Ana was happy for Kate, she truly was, but she missed her friend. She knew that Kate would come if she asked, but she knew that it wouldn't be what Kate wants. She really likes Elliot and he likes her, she wasn't going to disturb that.

A knock on the door was heard, and she opened up to see a man in his twenties.

"Roomservice and newspaper", he said, and rolled a cart in to the room, and then disappeared quickly. Ana shut the door, and walked up to the cart to see an omelet, orange juice, a card and the Seattle Times. She took up the cart, and sent a mental thank you note to Kate for fixing breakfast. She decided to wait with the newspaper, and enjoyed her breakfast in silence. After eating up, she took up the Seattle Times and looked at the front page. Her jaw dropped. There they were: she and Christian Grey. It was like last night was haunting her in every way possible. In the picture, she was smiling at the camera, while he was looking at her. The head-line made her curious: _Romance between Grey and the princess of newspapers!_ Intrigued, she started to read:

_Yesterday's charity gala at the Grey mansion was a huge success as always. But the biggest question is: was the raising of the money or a new family romance the reason for the Grey's happiness last night?_

_Of course, as always, the socialite people of Seattle were there. Anyone famous knows that the Grey's are the family to know. The hosts, the wonderful Grace Trevelyan-Grey and Carrick Grey, created a midsummer night's dream and the gala didn't disappoint. While raising money for the organization Coping Together, people enjoyed a wonderful dinner and dancing all through the night. The hosting family looked amazing: the men in Armani suits, Mrs. Trevelyan-Grey in a beautiful gray dress and Ms. Mia Grey in a gorgeous blue cocktail dress! But it was no surprise that the Grey's looked as amazing as always, the surprise was the Grey sons, which both arrived with beautiful women. Mr. Elliot Grey, which is a well-known architect in Seattle, was seen with the gorgeous Katherine Kavanagh, a reporter from the Portland Tribune. She was interviewing his brother a few days ago, and the pair seems to have hit it off! Sources tell the Times that they couldn't stay away from each other, and that Ms. Kavanagh followed Mr. Grey home after the gala. _

_But all eyes were on Christian Grey that night, and not without a reason. As you see on the pictures, Mr. Grey was accompanied by someone to the gala. And no ladies, we're not talking about his trustee and lifeguard, Jason Taylor, but a woman! And not any woman: the Anastasia Steele! For those of you who remember, Ms. Steele's parents, Carla and Frank Steele, passed away during her childhood. When her mother died, her step-father and she moved away from Seattle. Now, after sixteen years, the princess of Seattle Times is back in town! And not unnoticed! With Christian Grey by her side, she proved to Seattle that she is back, and taking us back to the past, when pictures by this pair was seen everywhere. And she is loved and accepted by the Grey's, and a fun fact is that Mr. and Mrs. Grey is her godparents, which were very good friends with Frank and Carla Steele._

_The couple posed together for a few pictures, and then stayed together for the rest of the night. Anastasia was seated with the hosting family, along with Ms. Kavanagh, which is her best friend from collage. According to sources, Ana was excited to do something at the auction, that she signed herself up for the first dance auction, along with Mia Grey. And guess who bought a dance? That's right, Christian Grey himself. They were seen dancing and chatting, and then seemed to disappear for a while. We all wondered what happened, but our sources were clueless. After a while, the pair was seen parting ways and leaving the gala, but we are curious and excited for this new couple! And we can't wait to see what happens next in the new romance!_

Her eyes went wide: they thought that she and Christian was a couple?! He might have saved her at the auction, but if people had seen them outside the dance floor, no one would call them a couple. She looked at the picture again, and anger was visible through her eyes. Just because he was handsome and rich, he thought that he could treat her as he wished?! Ana took a deep breath, but she couldn't calm down. She was mad, she didn't deserve his treatment, and she wanted him to understand that. She looked at her watch, it was 13.00, which meant that lunch was over for workers. It was after all a Monday. But she knew what she would do this afternoon, and it wasn't going to be in her hotel room, with her blaming herself for last night. No. Once again, she walked over to her suitcase and took out some clothes to change into. Then she left the hotel and waited for a cab. She knew where she was going, and she was going to speak her mind. The cab came, and she sat down in the back seat.

"Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc".

The cab pulled up by the enormous building she'd been in two days ago, but this time, she wouldn't be the blushing and starstrucked girl that she was then. She was going to be strong, and speak her mind to this infuriating man. She thought about the things she would say to him, but as she opened the glass doors and walked up to the elevator, her mind seemed blank. But she ignored it and all the looks she received from employees, she walked in to the elevator and went up to the highest floor, where his office was. She saw the blonde PA sitting outside his office, taking a call. She walked right up to her and waited for the call to end. The shock in Andreas eyes was quite fun to see, as she recognized her. But only a second later, her professional mask was on again.

"Ms. Steele, what can I help you with?", she said and Ana looked at her. "I need to speak with Mr. Grey, is there a possibility for me to speak with him?"

"I'm sorry, but Mr. Grey is at a lunch meeting, do you want to make an app…". The same second, walked in to the room from the elevator. His grey eyes found mine right away. "Ms. Steele. I didn't expect you to be here…", he said, while giving his coat to another assistant, who ran away after receiving it. "I'm sorry if I've disturbed you at work, but I need to speak with you", Ana said, looking him straight in the eye. She observed him, but his face was made out of stone and his eyes and voice were made out of ice. "Very well then. Andrea, clear my afternoon schedule. Ms. Steele, please wait for me in my office", he said before turning to Taylor to talk to him.

Ana walked in to the office and waited for Christian, and after a few minutes, he joined her in the room. "I didn't expect to see you here today, Ms. Steele. Why are you here?", he asked, avoiding her while he walked to his desk. Ana observed him, it was like he was playing a game with her. But that was where Ana drew the line. "Cut the crap Christian! You know why I'm here, and don't you dare to deny it". His eyes met hers again, and they were like fire. "Yes, I do know the reason for you being in Seattle, but not here in my office. I thought I was quite clear yesterday", he said through gritted teeth, and Ana felt fury through her veins. She wasn't going to put up with this anymore.

"You may have expressed your feeling according to our _arranged_ marriage, but now it's my turn to talk and your turn to listen! Do you really think that this is what _I_ want? Hell no! I don't even remember you. You're a part of a past I've forgotten and buried a long time ago, and believe me, I would like it to stay that way. Trust me when I say, that coming to Seattle might have been the biggest mistake of my life! Because all the stories I've heard about you and me are _ruined_ now!", she said. Ana noticed his shocked face, but she wasn't done. She had just begun.

"You might be Mr. Hotshot or Bigshot here and everywhere else, but I really couldn't care less. You can't impress me with money, I have that myself. You really can't make me to your puppet with your good looks, because your outside is the only beautiful thing about you, the inside isn't even worth a comment. You act like you own everything, and maybe you do, but you don't own me. And even if we have to get married, you won't own me, you never will. I am a person with feelings, feelings that you hurt yesterday. I know you don't care at all, I even bet that I wasn't important to you when we were younger. But how could you stand there, in that room, and blame _me_ for the arranged marriage?! I've beaten myself up all night about this, and it wasn't until I read that stupid article that I realized that it wasn't my fault. I would've understood if you took out your anger on your parents. They arranged it, and I did the same thing towards my dad. But blaming me? That's so wrong, and you know it. But now, I'm tired of being the victim. I'm extremely confused about everything that's going on, and you're not making it any better. And I won't demand you to behave right around me, you don't even have to be in the same state as me, but I will never be your puppet. You can't control me, and you never will. I'm sick and tired of everything, and coming back to Seattle was the worst thing I've done in sixteen years. I'm done with this place, and I'm going home. Good bye Christian", she said and left the building, leaving a shocked Christian behind her.

Ana went back to the hotel and locked herself in in her and Kate's room. She took out her cellphone and called Ray.

**Hello?**

Dad? It's me, Ana.

**Hey sweetheart! How's Seattle? Met him yet?**

I've met him, and the other family members of the family as well. But dad, I can't stay here.

**What, why? Has anything happened?**

Well, yeah. But I can't explain it over the phone…, can you buy a train ticket from Seattle to Portland for me?

**Sure sweetheart, when do you want to leave?**

As soon as poss… Hang on dad, I just got a text message.

Ana looked at her phone, and a gasp left her lips.

Ms. Steele.

I didn't like the way we left things, please join

me for dinner tomorrow evening. Tell me if you

wish to join me as soon as possible, I think we 

need to talk alone.

CG.

**Sweetheart, are you there?**

Yeah, dad. And about that ticket, buy one that leaves Seattle on Wednesday. I have some business to attend tomorrow.

**Hey Guys! Once again, your reviews make me very happy, they really make my day! And also, I'm so sorry for the late update, I'm really busy in school right now, but I have a holiday coming up next week, and I'll try to post two chapters then. But the earliest you can get a new chapter is on Tuesday next week, because I'm going to Ireland on Friday! I'm really excited! Anyway, enjoy the chapter, and please review! **

**/Fijah **


	6. Chapter 6

"Oh. My. God!"

The high-pitched squeal made Ana cover her ears, but in a way, she could understand her best friend's reaction. It had been two hours since _he_ had sent her the text message, and one hour since her best friend had come back from her date, completely euphoric. But Kate's happy facial expression quickly turned into a frown when she saw her friend. Ana sat in her bed, with her knees by her chin and her back against the head-board. She was shocked, she didn't expect him to contact her after the confrontation in his office. She knew that she'd been quite harsh, but she didn't care. Someone needed to tell him that he wasn't a God. But instead of leaving Seattle right away and never talk to him again, he contacted her. And now she was supposed to meet him for dinner the following night. She couldn't believe it…

"Ana? Ana, hello?", Kate said and snapped her fingers in front of her, making her stop daydreaming. Ana looked at her best friend, she saw the concern in her eyes. Kate had just heard everything that'd happened that day, and that was the reason for her reaction earlier. But even though Ana knew that this was almost a dream scoop for a journalist, and wonderful gossip about Christian, she also knew that Kate wouldn't tell a soul the things she'd heard at their hotel room.

"I'm sorry, I was just thinking about everything… Is it really a good idea to accompany him to dinner? After everything I said today?", Ana said, but the expression on Kate's face made all Ana's doubts go away. "Ana, you have to go! He'll believe that you're scared of him, and that you just said some random things that you didn't mean today. Go to the dinner, and show him the confident and ass-kicking woman that you are!", Kate said, and the two women laughed. Ana looked at her, and hugged her after the laughing attacks stopped. "Thank you, I wouldn't have done anything here if it wasn't for you. Thank you for supporting me. I'll…" A knock interrupted her, and Kate opened the door and found Elliot with flowers and a huge smile. "Hello Kate, these are for you", he said, and she giggled. Ana looked at them, and despite feeling happy for them, she also felt a bit jealous. She wondered if there was any chance for her and Christian feeling that way ever. "Hey, Ana? Are you okay?" Once again, she was brought back from her thoughts, this time by Elliot. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just lost in thought, I guess", Ana said with a giggle, and Elliot smiled. "Ana, I don't mean to be rude or something, but is it okay if…?" "Kate, you don't have to ask. Go, I'll be fine. I promise, if I need you, I'll call or text", she said with a smile on her face. The couple hugged her, and then left her for the evening.

Ten minutes flew by, and she stared at the phone in her hand. It wasn't so hard, all she had to do was to hit the green button, and speak a few words, and everything would be fine. But why did she have a bad feeling in her gut about this dinner? She looked at the clock, it was a quarter to seven. She had to do it, and after taking a deep breath, she pressed the button and brought the phone to her ear. After two signals, he picked up.

**Grey. **

Christian. It's Anastasia, am I calling at a bad time?

**No. I was expecting a response from you, Ms. Steele. Have you had time to consider my proposal for dinner tomorrow evening?**

Yes, I will join you for dinner tomorrow.

**Wonderful. I'll pick you up at seven pm. Dress formal. Good-bye Ms. Steele.**

He hung up before she had the chance to respond to him. Formal? She hadn't brought formal clothing beside the dress she'd worn at the gala. But she could look for a dress tomorrow, she didn't have to care about that now. Feeling her stomach growl, she called room service for a risotto with white wine. The night would be all about relaxing, and she wouldn't think about the coming day until it arrived. After enjoying her meal, she took her glass and sat down on her bed. She took the TV remote from the nightstand and looked through the collection of movies, and after taking off her normal clothes and putting on sweats and a t-shirt, she decided to watch Pride and Prejudice. After about an hour into the movie, she fell asleep.

_She stood in the middle of the dance floor, looking around herself. Everyone was staring at her, which made her feel self-conscious; she always hated being the center of attention. She didn't recognize any of the people surrounding her, but still, they turned their attention to her with smiles on their faces. She felt lost; she didn't feel like she belong where she was. And why did she stand on a dance floor? All these questions ran through her mind, but her thoughts were interrupted by flashing lights. It was about ten photographers taking her picture, calling for her to smile, but she was too confused. She didn't understand why they wanted her photograph, but then she looked down on the piece of clothing she was wearing and she gasped. She was dressed in the most beautiful __wedding dress__ she'd ever seen. Her torso was well-fitted, and after her waist, the dress flowed free from her body. It was covered in lace and beads, and her arms were also covered in the ivory lace that surrounded the fabric of the dress. She raised an arm to touch her hair, finding out that it was put up in an elegant up-do. And although she couldn't take a look in a mirror, she knew that she had flawless make-up on her face. Ana was at a wedding, her wedding._

"_Oh, sweetheart! You look so beautiful", she heard, and turned around to see Ray approaching her. Feeling a lot less alone at the moment, she ran up to him and hugged him tight. Ray laughed and hugged her back, before letting go of her. "Easy now, you and I both now that Kate will kill me if anything goes wrong with your appearance today", he said while chuckling, and another person approached the father and daughter. "Damn right, I would", Kate said and grinned at Ray. Then she turned to Ana, with tears in her eyes. "Ana, you look so gorgeous, I can't believe that this is happening! This must be the happiest day of your life." Ana wanted to ask what was going on, but for some reason, not a single sound could pass her lips. She understood that it came from shock, but Kate and Pay both thought she was speechless with happiness. "Oh hun, I know you're happy, we all are! And thank you once again for making me your maid of honor, you're up next", she said with a wink, and then turned her attention to a door right by the end of the dance floor. Ana observed at her, and admired the way she looked. She was extremely beautiful. She was dressed in a violet dress, which flowed stunningly from her body. Her blonde hair was in a simple bun, with some curled strands of hair framing her face. But after observing her friend's look for her wedding, she wondered where and who her groom was. She noticed that not only Kate's eyes were on the doors, everybody were looking that way, so she turned her attention to them as well. A few moments later, the door handle went down, and the doors flew open. There was the Grey family in all their glory. They all looked stunning. Mia and Elliot walked up to Kate and they started to talk, while Ray, Grace and Carrick engulfed themselves in a conversation of their own. But Ana didn't care, the only one she saw was the middle child of the Grey family, who was walking up to her. He looked handsome in a dress coat with a grey tie, and his smoldering grey eyes locked with hers. He walked up to her, and took her hand in his, while resting the other on her waist. Realizing that we were going to dance, she placed her hand on his shoulder, prepared to follow his lead. The music started, and a DJ started to talk out of the blue. "Ladies and gentlemen! It is my pleasure to present Mr. and Mrs. Grey, and their first dance as husband and wife!" WHAT?! She looked at her left ring finger, and there was a wedding band there. She looked at Christians and he had a similar-looking one on his, so maybe it was true. They were married. She looked up at him and he looked her straight in the eyes with a small smile on his face. "I love you, Mrs. Grey", he said, and then he leaned closer to her face…_

"Ana, wake up!"

She jumped out of fear, and then locked her eyes with a pair of hazel ones. Her best friend looked at her with concern, but it was soon replaced with laughter. "You should have seen the look on your face!", Kate said and laughed while she sat down on her bed. Ana giggled, and then sat up on her bed. "So, when did you get in last night?", she said with a smirk, and Kate's cheeks became pink. "A little late, but whatever, enough about me. Today everything is about you. It's eleven now, when is your date?" Now it was Ana's time to blush. "It's not a date, we're just having dinner", she said and Kate rolled her eyes. "He's picking me up in the lobby at seven. But I have to wear something formal, and the only dress I brought is the one I wore at the gala." Kate's face lit up, and Ana mentally groaned. If there was one thing that Kate liked, it was shopping. "Then why are we here? Get dressed, and then we'll go shopping!"

After a long girls' day, and many different stores, she was done. The time was five to seven, and she was ready for the dinner. She was dressed in a little black dress with a grey blazer, black heels and purse. Her hair was in a ponytail, and the makeup was natural. "Ana, you look gorgeous, now go!", Kate said and smiled confidently. Ana smiled back, and left the room. But as she stood in the elevator, she couldn't help but feeling the bad feeling in her stomach and her dream played in her thoughts. She was confused. But she shook her head and took a deep breath when the sound of the elevator indicated that she was in the lobby. She walked out and saw his right away. With a black shirt and grey suit, he looked editable. But she wasn't going to be distracted by his looks. She knew that he'd seen her so she walked up to him with a small smile.

"Hello Ms. Steele. Let's go", he said, and led her to his car where she saw Taylor opening her door. She sat down, and a few seconds later, Christian sat by her side. "Hi to you too", she said, realizing that she didn't say anything to him in the lobby. He nodded, but stayed silent. He didn't speak until they arrived at the restaurant, which was one of the most expensive ones in Seattle. She'd been there once with Ray and her mom, but she didn't remember it. She pushed away the negative thoughts for the evening, she was going to have a nice last night in Seattle for good. They received their menus, but they were still silent. It wasn't until the waitress came, then he spoke. "I'll have the Beef Bourguignon, have you made up your mind, Ms. Steele?" She looked at the menu once again, and ordered Baked Rigatoni with Ham, and she let him order the wine. She didn't know a thing about wine, she just drank it. The silence was still there.

"Christian, why did you invite me to dine with you?"

He looked at her, his eyes intense. "Well, since you made your point about your feelings towards me and everything that's going on, I thought I would enlighten you with my opinion as well", he said, while taking a sip of wine. She looked at him like he was crazy; didn't he speak his opinion at his parents' gala? "But I thought you'd already expressed how you felt, towards me and the arrangement", she said. He sighed, and looked like he thought about how he should answer that. Our meals arrived, and the waitress tried to flirt with him, but he didn't care. He looked at me, and ignored her completely. When she left, he spoke again. "Yes, I did express how I felt at that moment, but I realize that I didn't treat you well that night. I apologize for that." Her mouth probably fell open at his apology, but she nodded for him to continue. "I went back to parents' yesterday evening, and I have the contract that our parents wrote twenty-three years ago. I thought that might want to look at it", he said, and she nodded again. "That would be nice", she said with a small smile. They started to eat, but then she thought of something. "You never told me how you feel about me. And I want to know more about the friendship we had when we were younger. Everybody says that we were unbelievably close, but they can't explain anything. Please tell me", she said, and saw as his face turned cold. He didn't answer her for a few minutes, but she wouldn't give up. "I told you how I feel yesterday, now I want to hear how you feel." "I'm against us getting married, you are well aware of that. But I won't tell you anything about our childhood memories, and that's final", he said, and then finished his meal.

"Why can't you tell me?! I want to know so I actually can understand why my mom wanted me to marry you!", she said, and he became tense. "Shut the fuck up, people can hear you", he said. He called for the bill and paid for the meal. She followed him to the elevator, pissed. "So where is the fucking contract? Let me see it so we can move on with our lives", Ana said, and walked into the elevator. He looked at her, and amusement seemed to display in his eyes. "I didn't bring it, it's in my apartment. You'll have to stop by to see it." She was furious, and fortunately, they were alone in the elevator. "Are you freaking serious?! You just couldn't bring it? And now I'm stuck here for a few more days! I just want this hell to stop, so I can move on with my life! But no, why should it? I love to be back in Seattle, and…" Then his lips were on hers. She gasped, as he slipped his tongue in her mouth, exploring every corner. Her blood pumped through her veins, this was the most intense kiss she'd ever experienced. She was pushed up against the wall and he pressed against her, letting her feel his erection. But the elevator stopped and he stepped away from her. "You should really learn to shut-up. Taylor will drive you home, good night Anastasia. And I'll see you later this week", he said, and then he left. Ana went to the car, and Taylor began to drive her home. But she couldn't stop thinking about the kiss. Why did he have to kiss her? And why did she like it so much?

**Hey Guys! Your reviews are amazing, and it makes me so happy that you like Tied Together. Here's chapter six, and I hope you'll like it! Please review!**

**/ Fijah **


	7. Chapter 7

The kiss haunted her through the night, she couldn't stop thinking about it, no matter how hard she tried. _Why did he have to kiss her at all?_ He told her that he did it to shut her up, but somehow, she didn't believe him. If Christian wanted her to be quiet, he'd only have to ask. But no, he had to put his lips against hers.

Unintentionally, she touched her lips, which had been kissed a few hours before. When she thought about the kiss, she couldn't help loving it. The passion that had flown between them had been intense, and she'd loved every second of it. It was the most passionate and deep kiss she'd ever received, and for some reason, she wanted him to kiss her again. But then she thought of the person that kissed her, and frowned. Christian had treated her like shit, and he knew how she felt about it. And every time she'd ask about their past, he'd stiffened and changed the subject right away. It annoyed her.

She came to Seattle for information about her past, and some light about the fact that her mother wanted her to marry Christian. But she'd only gotten more and more questions in her head, not knowing anything about the mysterious man she'd met for the first time in sixteen years last week. After her "date" with Christian, she called Ray, letting him know that she would stay a few more days, and spend more time with the Grey's. It wasn't a total lie, the following day, she would spend with Elliot and Kate. She needed a day away from him, she'd met him every day since she arrived in her home town, and it was draining all her energy. Their meetings were always intense, and something happened every time, she needed a day with peace.

"Ana? Are you still up?", Kate asked with sleep in her voice, and Ana looked at the digital clock in the room; 1.36 am. She wasn't even aware that the time had passed so quickly, Taylor had dropped her off at ten thirty pm, and after some time in the hotel bar, she went to their hotel room.

"Yeah, just had something on my mind. Just go back to sleep, I'll be fine", she said with her most convincing voice, but Kate knew her too well and became more worried. That was something Ana usually loved, but now? Not so much.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm good. But thanks anyway. Good night Kate", Ana said, and then turned on her side, closing her eyes. Dreaming away about a certain grey-eyed man.

"Keep your focus!"

He avoided the punch that was coming for him, and kicked his led towards his opponent. He felt the anger from yesterday in every punch and kick, making his moves more intense than they'd been in a long time. He moved his feet across the carpet he was standing on, trying to dodge his challenger's moves, while also trying to reach him with his feet and arms. All the feelings he tried to avoid were screaming inside his head, filled with guilt, anger and confusion. He came closer to his opponent, and planned his attack. He moved fast, and connected his feet to his abdomen. The rival fell to the blue carpet, while blowing out a breath of air, and stood up after a few minutes of resting.

"Well done, Mr. Grey. I believe this must have been your most intense session since we started. I'm impressed", Claude said, and went to get his towel and water bottle. Christian gathered all his things, and went to his trainer.

"Thank you, it felt good today. I'll see you tomorrow, same time?"

"Yes, of course. Good bye Mr. Grey", he said, and left to the dressing room.

Christian left the building, still in his training clothes, and drove back to his apartment in his Audi R8 Spyder. He just wanted to go back home, not to work, his parents or anywhere else in Seattle. It was the only place where she hadn't been.

She. Why did she have to come back to Seattle right now? Well, he knew why, and unfortunately, he was the reason. She'd gotten a letter from her mother, which her step-father decided to give to her on her twenty-third birthday. And her best friend just happened to be the person who was going to interview him after nine months of nagging. When he was a child, she was the sister he was going to protect and make happy every day. When he was in his early teenage years, she was the one he dreamed about. The one thing in his life that actually mattered and made sense, she was his rock. And then, she just left him. Just like that. And he made the promise to himself to never open himself up to Anastasia Steele again; she would never be allowed to enter his life again. But here she was, and he couldn't resist her previous night. Her lips were soft and moist, and even though she was an innocent person, when he kissed her, she became a vixen. It had been passionate and intense, he'd felt himself getting aroused in the elevator. He'd never felt that way around Sarah, even though they were in a different kind of relationship. Hell, he'd never felt that way around Elena, and she was the one introducing him to his lifestyle.

He made it back to Escala, and went up to his penthouse floor. Taylor stood by the door, nodding to his boss as he arrived. Christian acknowledged him, and then went to his bathroom to take his shower. Usually, taking a shower would help him relax, but for some reason, today it didn't. He showered quickly, and went back to his room and closet. He retrieved a pair of sweatpants and a white t-shirt, and walked to his office. His work never stopped. After two hours, the calls and emails never stopped coming. The only break he got was when his housekeeper Mrs. Jones brought him some food around one. One email caught his eyes, it was from his mother. He hadn't spoken to any of his family members since the gala, because of the news revealed that night. He decided to read it before he continued with his work.

_Christian._

_I understand that you're mad at us, and believe me; I wish we'd told you earlier. But we can't change what happened this Sunday. I start by saying; we're so sorry. I know that it was different relationship between you and Ana during your childhood, but the events that happened in Ana's life made her forget Seattle, and unfortunately you. We know how you felt about her before, and we hope that you cherish your memories of you two together. I know I have no right to do this, but please, tell her about your childhoods. Let her know, and maybe that will answer her questions. Make her and yourself understand why we made this decision by looking back together. And give her a chance. She is a wonderful girl, she deserves it._

_Once again, we're sorry. _

_I love you._

_Mom._

He looked at the screen, where his mother asked him to break his promise to himself. A part of him wanted to tell her some stories from their childhood, but there were two reasons for him not wanting to do it.

One. He would be able to lose control, the one thing he'd had in his life since he was fifteen.

Two. He was scared of the way she would affect him.

It was Thursday, the day when she'd face him again. When she'd been out with Elliot and Kate the previous day, he was taboo to speak about. She'd learned more about Elliot, and she saw that he and her best friend were smitten with each other. The three of them had a fun day, they went shopping and went to bar in the evening. But the night came and went, and it had become a new day. The day when she would see the contract that brought her back to Seattle and the man mentioned in it. She'd received the codes to Christian's home by Taylor on her way home after the date, so she knew what to do when she was going to visit. She took a cab to Escala, and went to the elevator. Pressing the penthouse button, she felt it moving, and the butterflies in her stomach grew. Ana was there without him knowing that she'd planned to visit, so she prepared herself for a possible rage towards her. She heard the sound that signalized that she'd arrived at her destination, and she walked into his enormous apartment.

The first thing she noticed was the white walls, and the windows showing Seattle in its glory. Everything was modern, but the place didn't feel like a home. It felt as a room designed for people to look at, not live in. But one thing looked out of place, yet, it fitted perfectly in the room. It was a big piano. She didn't know if he played, or if it was a decoration, so she made a mental note to herself to ask him about it later.

"Excuse me, who are you?"

Ana turned around quickly, feeling herself blush.

"I'm sorry to barge in like this, my name is Ana Steele. I was supposed to meet up with Mr. Grey this week, and I figured that today would be a great opportunity to meet him", she said, quite embarrassed. But the lady in front of her just smiled back with a knowing smile.

"Oh, Ms. Steele, forgive me. I was told by Taylor that you would drop by during the week. It's nice to meet you, I'm Mr. Grey's housekeeper, Mrs. Jones", she said with a friendly smile, to which Ana smiled back. But she wasn't there to make small talk with her; she was there to meet Christian.

"Nice to meet you, but could you please tell me where Mr. Grey is? I really need to talk to him."

"Of course, he's in his study. You'll just follow this corridor, and then it's the door on your left. And please tell me if you want something to eat or drink, I'll be in the kitchen", Mrs. Jones said and smiled, before she went to the kitchen.

Ana walked up to the door, and took a deep breath. Then she knocked, and she heard him telling her to come in. But when she saw the look on his face when she entered the room, she knew she'd surprised him.

"Ms. Steele. I didn't expect your company today. What a surprise…"

"I'm sorry to come unnoticed, would you like me to come back later or tomorrow?", Ana said hesitantly, maybe she'd pushed her luck too much. But instead of kicking her out or yelling at her, he indicated that she could sit down with his hand.

"Please, stay. I have a few things I need to talk with you about. First, I want to apologize for the kiss. I was annoyed after a long day, and my behavior will not be repeated again", he said, and she couldn't help but feeling a bit disappointed. She wasn't angry about the kiss, just confused. But instead of speaking her mind, she decided that the best thing for her to do was to sit down and listen to him.  
"Second, I have noticed your desire to become more knowledgeable about our past, and I'm sure you've noticed how I try and avoid the subject. Well, I'm not completely comfortable talking about my childhood, but I can tell you this now. The happy memories of my childhood contain you. And third, I will show you the contract. But before I do that, I want to show you something else, and it's not in this apartment. And I want us to go to that place now, if you don't mind?", he asked, while she tried to process everything he'd told her. Should she really go with him, after all the things he'd said to her? But before he brain even had had the chance to think about her options, she heard herself answering him.

"Yes."

They'd been in the car for about fifteen minutes when he pulled over, and she saw where they were. _Lake View Cemetery._ Why were they there? She hadn't been there since her mother lived, and she didn't feel the need to go there at all. But Christian had already stepped out of the car, walked to her side and opened the door for her. She stepped out, and looked at her surroundings. There were Japanese Cherry Trees everywhere, and it looked very peaceful. But she knew that this was a place of sadness and sorrow, and she couldn't feel any peace at all, instead, she felt confusion.

"Christian, why did you bring me here?"

He didn't say anything, he just grabbed her hand and started to walk on a path by the gravestones. After a few minutes of walking, they stopped in front of two gravestones.

_In loving memory of_

_Franklin A. Lambert (1959-1989)_

_Carla May Steele (1959-1996)_

She saw her parents' graves and felt the tears come to her eyes. She saw Christian taking out a piece of paper from his pocket and he gave it to her.

"I'll leave you alone for a while. I'll be back in ten minutes", he said, and walked away from an even more confused Ana. But she looked at the paper, and she saw a note attached to it at the top.

_Anastasia. Three months before your mother died, she presented me with this note. She told me to give it to you when she was gone, as a comfort for you when she couldn't be there in person. I think it's time to give it to you._

_/Christian_

She became even more confused, but instead of wondering, she opened the paper and started to read.

_My dearest Ana._

_When you read this, I'm not able to be with you in person, which fills my heart with sorrow. I gave this letter to Christian, your closest friend, and when you read this, I know that he kept his promise to me. Not only to give you this letter, but to be there for you when times are tough and you need a rock in your life. I have imagined myself as your rock these first six years in your life, and even though I'm gone, I'll __always__ be there for you._

_Ana, you are my miracle. You are the one who has brought the life and sparkle back in my eyes, and you are the light of my life. You always know how to make me smile, and you hug me every time I want to cry or scream in frustration or sorrow. You have blessed my life in so many ways, and you've made me feel a love that I never knew of. The love from a mother to a daughter, which is the most powerful bond in the world. I hope you'll experience it one day with your future daughter, and that I'll be there to see you every step of the way. _

_The day you were born was the happiest day of my life. When I saw your clear blue eyes for the first time, I fell in love with them and with you. You have the same eyes as your father did, and one of my biggest regrets in life is that you never got to know him. He also fell in love with you the first time he laid eyes on you. We had wanted to have a child for two years, and you really were our dream come true. But as you know, your father died the day after your birth, and my world crashed down. I didn't know what to do, I doubted if I would be able to raise you by myself, and I almost had a breakdown. But you, Christian and Grace made me realize that I could do it. I felt the trust from you, and I did everything I could to make you happy (even if it meant me being over at the Grey's mansion every waking moment). Of course I met Ray when you were two, so you didn't have to grow up without a father figure in your life. _

_My darling, you are such a wonderful little girl, and even if you're sixty-two when you read this, you'll always be my little girl. You have such a bright future, and I know that you'll succeed in any career you'll be in. And as long as you are surrounded by the ones you love, remember that you're never alone, and that they love you for the delightful girl that you are. But, in case you ever feel alone and nobody's there to comfort you, here's what I want you to do. I want you to put one of your hands above your heart, the other one on your cheek and look up into the sky. No matter if it's cloudy, raining, sunny or if the stars are shining; I'm always there. Giving you comfort, and it'll be like what I do when you're scared or lonely. I stroke your cheek, hug you so you can feel my heart beat and look up in the sky. And when you'll feel your heart beats, you'll feel mine as well. Because I'll always be with you in your heart, and no one can ever change that._

_Sweetheart, I love you. Always have, always will._

_Mom._

The tears fell down her cheeks, but she noticed him return. In his hand were white and light pink roses, her mother's favorite. Together they placed the flowers on the graves and looked at the place where Ana's parents' were resting. Suddenly she hugged him, not being able to keep her gratitude for what he'd done inside her. She felt him stiffen at first, but after a few seconds, he relaxed and hugged her back. She stood on her tippy toes, pressed a kiss to his cheek, and whispered in his ear.

"_Thank you_."

**Hey! I can't believe that I have over a hundred reviews, thank you so much! Your opinion means a lot to me, and I've seen that you have reacted on Christian's behavior in my previous chapters. I hope that you'll see a different side of him here. Please keep reviewing, and tell me what you think about the chapter!**

**/Fijah **


	8. Chapter 8

They stayed at the graveyard, and sat down together by one of the trees beside her parents' graves. They were quiet, but it wasn't an awkward silence. Everything that been necessary to say in the moment had been said, thank you. To any other visitor, they looked like a young couple in love, visiting family members that'd been taken away from them. The man comforted the woman who accompanied him, and she took his comfort with gratitude. An older couple walked passed them and smiled, but they didn't notice; they were too wrapped up in their own little world. It was a wonderful moment, no one had disturbed them or demanded something from them, it was like the time had stopped around them and they enjoyed their moment of peace. But that was all it was, a moment. And as quick it came, it also disappeared.

His phone rang, and he took up the Blackberry, annoyed.

"Grey."

That was all it took, the moment passed the same second he spoke his name. It felt like she woke up from a wonderful dream, and crashed down to the reality. She was in Seattle, visiting her parents with Christian. She let her eyes wander to his face, which had turned from a warm, gentle expression to a cold mask, in only a few seconds. She became confused by his switches of moods, but felt lucky to have seen his softer side, a side that had started to give her a bit of information about her distant life in Seattle. But she knew that it would take time for him to open up about it, it was like he didn't want to talk about their past, which was confusing to her.

"Ana? Do you hear me?"

She shook her head, and came out of her thoughts. He'd finished the call and looked at her, and from her point of view, he looked kind of annoyed.

"We need to go back, I have a meeting I can't miss in one hour", he said, and offered his hand to help her up. She took it gratefully, and brushed off some dirt from her jeans. They walked up to his car and he started to drive towards the city. The silence in the car was awkward, Christian still seemed annoyed and she didn't know what to say to him. Maybe he was annoyed because he realized that he'd spent too much time with her at the graveyard, which would mean that he would be angry at her. After their afternoon, she didn't want anything to ruin her new image of him; a thoughtful man, who hid himself at times. She hadn't forgiven him entirely for his outburst of anger, but almost.

"I'm sorry that my work disturbed your time at the graveyard", he said and she looked at him in shock. She'd expected entirely different words coming out of his mouth, not a phrase where he asks for forgiveness.

"It's okay, you have to work", Ana said quietly, she didn't know what else to say to him. It wasn't awkward anymore, just a tension between them. She didn't know what caused it, but it was broken when her cellphone sounded. She looked at him apologetic and answered her phone.

"_Hello?_"

"**Ana? It's Grace. How are you? I haven't spoken to you since the gala**."

"_Oh hi Grace. I'm fine, it's been a long week, I hope you are well_", she said, and she noticed Christian sneaking a glance towards her in the car when she mentioned his mother's name.

"**Yes, everything is good here. I was just wondering, are you still staying in Seattle? I know Kate's still here, but we figured that you might would go home early…**" and Ana knew that she talked about the fight at the gala.

"_No, I'm still here. I was about to go home this Tuesday but I was persuaded into staying a few more days_."

"**That's wonderful, dear. Because I would like to invite you to dinner this evening. Carrick and Mia will attend it as well, and we are going to invite Christian, but only if you're feeling comfortable with that**", Grace said, and Ana giggled.

"_I would love to come for dinner! And I think that Christian would love to come as well_", she said, and that got his attention.

"What would I like to do?", he said, clearly confused.

"**Ana, who was that? Are you with someone, am I disturbing?**"

"_That Grace, is Christian. He's driving me back to the hotel_", she said, and then turned to Christian.

"Would you like to go to dinner at your parents' house tonight?", she asked him, and he nodded.

"**Are you with Christian?**", Grace ask, and she sounded shocked and happy about the revelation.

"_Yes, and he would love to come for dinner as well. When should we be there?_"

"**Come by around six, and dress casual. I'll see you both then. Bye!**"

Ana hung up, and started to giggle at the same time as Christian pulled up by the hotel. He still looked confused, and he turned in his seat to look at her.

"What's so funny?"

"Your mom's reaction to me being with you right now, you should have heard her after I told her, I was with you!", she said, giggling like crazy. Because of her giggles, she didn't notice the small but warm smile on Christians face. But as soon as she stopped, he let his smile fall, not letting her see his earlier expression.

"Ah, okay. Not to sound rude or anything, but I have to leave for my meeting now. So if you'd like, I can pick you up and drive you to the dinner. When are we supposed to be there?"

"At six. Are you sure you can pick me up? I can get a cab if it's easier for you?", she suggested with uncertainty. She didn't want him to do anything that would affect his work again.

"No, I'll pick you up. Be ready at five thirty. I'll see you in a few hours, Anastasia", he said, and quickly dropped a kiss at her cheek.

"See you later", she said, and left his car in a haze. She watched the car turn, and leave her sight. She sighed quietly, that man had some serious mood-swings…

He knocked at her door, dressed casually in a pair of dark jeans and a blue shirt, and waited for her to come out. The hotel door opened slowly and Ana stepped out. She looked amazing, dressed in a flowing floral printed skirt with a black top. She wore a black purse, black shoes and her hair was up in a ponytail.

"Hi", she said and smiled.

"Hey, shall we go?", he said and offered his elbow to her.

"Let's go!"

He tried to make small talk with her in the car, asking her about her studies at WSU, and she asked him about his work, and why he was involved with the university. But silence filled the car the last ten minutes of the ride. Unlike the awkward silence they'd shared earlier, this was comfortable. Christian drove the familiar way to his parents' house, and Ana watched the beautiful surroundings. The sun was about to go down, and it looked amazing by the landscape that encircled them. Soon, they arrived to the gates leading to the mansion owned by Carrick and Grace, and he parked his car on their driveway.

"Ana, Christian! There you are!", Grace said, a huge smile grazing her face. She was dressed in a beige dress, which fit her perfectly. Carrick stood behind her, smiling as well.

"Welcome back to our home, Ana. Come in, the dinner is being served right now", Carrick said, and all four of them walked into the mansion, towards the dining hall. Ana saw servants placing different plates for five people, and sat down beside Mia.

"Hey! I haven't seen you all week! We have to go out for lunch and shopping before you leave, are you free Saturday?", Mia asked, and hugged her. Ana giggled and nodded to her proposal, engaging herself in a conversation about new mall. Christian sat down at the seat opposite her, and Carrick and Grace sat down at their seat, and they started on the delicious food.

Conversations flowed easily between them, while Carrick and Christian talked business, Ana, Grace and Mia talked about what was going on in their lives at the moment. When dessert came, a wonderful Crème Brûlée, Grace started a new conversation with them.

"So Ana, what did you do today? When we spoke, you were with Christian", she, and Ana noticed how curious she was.

"Well, he took me to the graveyard. We visited my parents", she said in a quiet voice, and they all looked at her. Carrick and Grace didn't expect her to visit, due to her not remembering, and they definitely didn't expect that Christian would accompany her.

"Oh, that was nice. I'm certain that they're watching over you, and that they're really proud over you", Grace said, and smiled.

"As are we. But now is not the time to dwell on the past and your parents will always be with you in your heart. Therefore, I would like to make a toast! To meeting you again Ana, and to new beginnings!", Carrick said, and everyone clicked their glasses. Ana smiled, it felt good to spend time with the Grey's, but at the same time, she was jealous. They remember both her parents, she barely remembered her own mother. Grace and Carrick knew them for five years before her father past away, and her mother for twelve. And their children, even though they were adopted, they had always had a loving home and loving parents in Grace and Carrick.

A few minutes after dinner was over, Ana apologized herself for some air, and she went down to the shore. She stood there, silently taking in her surroundings and tried to remember this place. It had meant so much for her in her childhood, everyone said that, but she didn't have a single memory where it was included. But her silence was broken by a twig being snapped, and she turned around to find Christian in his jacket.

"You scared me", she accused him, while having a small smile on her face, which he returned.

"Sorry, that wasn't my intention. I was just wondering why you're out here all alone, and not inside the house with us?"

"Oh, I…just wanted to clear my head…", she said, and avoided to meet his eyes, because she knew that hers would betray her and show him how she really felt. But he didn't have to look into her eyes to know that she felt sad. So he walked up and stood beside her, looking up into the sky. The stars shone brightly, and their reflection glimmered in the water; it was a beautiful night.

"I feels like we've done this before…", she said and sighed.

"It's because we have, only slightly different", he said quietly, and she looked him in the eyes. She wanted to know, but she didn't know if she should demand this from him. But once again, he surprised her and started to tell her.

_Flashback_

_Eleven-year-old Christian looked out over the water, seeing the stars reflect in the water, looking like little lights against the almost black water. It was his birthday, and his parents had thrown his a huge party, inviting the socialite and their children to celebrate. But even though he should be happy, the party was for him, but he didn't know anyone except his family. But what he didn't know, was that someone was about to surprise him in the next few seconds. The one person who could light up his entire world. _

"_Happy Birthday!"_

_He turned to see the person, whose voice he'd just heard. Dressed in a cute little blue dress, Ana walked up to him and sat down on the ground next to him. Suddenly, everything seemed better; she'd come._

"_Thanks! I was starting to wonder where you were…", he said, showing his nervousness to her, and she smiled gently._

"_Mommy and daddy were caught up at work, so we became a little late. But I wonder, why aren't you celebrating with everyone? It is your party", she said smartly, and he smirked. For a five-year-old, she was quite smart. _

"_I don't know anyone there, their all here because of my parents, not me. The only ones that care for me here are my family, your family and you. And you weren't here, so I wanted some peace from anyone", he said, and she looked up in his face, her blue eyes shining in the moonlight. _

"_We care, and I care. I'll always care for you. And I'll always be here for you, Christian", Ana said with sincerity, which made him smile. Then she leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek, a moment he knew he would treasure forever. She laid her head against his shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around her._

"_I'll always be here for you too, Anastasia."_

Ana looked up at him with tears in her eyes; this was the first thing _he'd_ shared willingly from her past. Once again, she was thankful for what he'd done, but she decided to keep quiet. She didn't want to disturb their peaceful moment. They just stood there together, enjoying the evening. A wind blew, which gave Ana chills, something that didn't go unnoticed by Christian. He quickly took off his jacket and offered it to her, but he noticed her hesitating.

"Go ahead, take it. I'm warm, and you're freezing. The gentleman in me insists", he said with a smirk, and she started to giggle. Even though he tried to joke about his gesture, it meant a lot to her.

"Well, thank you kind gentleman, but don't expect me to brag about it in front of your mom", she said, and he faked a hurt expression.

"That hurts, but I guess I'll live", Christian said with a smile, but once again, the moment was gone, this time by Ana's phone. She sighed, and he nodded, as if he was saying that it's okay to take it.

"I'm really sorry, I have to get it. _Kate?_", Ana said, while answering.

"**Ana? It's Elliot.**"

"_Elliot? Why are you calling from Kate's phone? Is she okay?_"

"**Well, yes and no. We went horseback riding, and her horse became scared during the ride and threw her off…**"

"_What?! Is she okay?_", Ana asked, nervous and scared about the answer. Seattle had been a town of dead in her past, and she didn't want to find out that Kate had been severely damaged as well. Christian noticed tears in her eyes, and took her hand, showing her that he supported her, no matter what.

"**Well, she is okay. But she broke her leg, so she's here at the hospital. She asked for you, but if you're busy, you can stop by tomorrow**", Elliot said, and Ana hesitated. She didn't want to leave, but she knew that Kate needed her. She turned to Christian.

"Is it okay if we leave now? Kate broke her leg and she's at the hospital…", she said but Christian stopped her.

"You don't have to say anything else, we're leaving now", he said, and she mouthed _thank you_.

"_Tell Kate that I'm coming, Christian is driving me from your parents' house now, and we'll be there in half an hour"_, she said and hung up. She walked up to the house with Christian and explained the situation with Kate. They understood, and told them to send their love to Kate, and they were off to the hospital. Even though they felt sorry for Kate, Grace and Carrick couldn't help but feeling happiness. Ana and Christian were holding hands the whole time, like he was supporting her, and she was still wearing his jacket. It was like their feelings towards each other slowly started to change and develop.

The car pulled up at the Swedish Medical Centre and Ana felt nervous, she hoped that everything was fine. Christian hoped her door, took her hand and together, they walked towards the information desk. The receptionist was a woman in her early thirties, and Ana noticed her taking a deep breath when she and Christian approached her. Was every woman affected by his good looks?!

"We're looking for Katherine Kavanagh?", Christian said, and Ana swore she saw the woman shiver, this was ridiculous. They wanted to visit a friend who was treated at the hospital, and here the receptionist was flirting instead of helping.

"Friends or family?", the woman said, while leaning over the desk she sat behind.

"I'm her boyfriend's brother and this is her best friend, could you please tell me where she is?", he said, exasperated by the lack of help.

"Floor 3, room 302."

"Thank you." And with that they walked to the elevator, slowly going to their destination. Christian noticed her nerves, and gently squeezed her hand. She looked up at him, her blue eyes watering.

"Can I really do this?"

The question surprised him. All the time he'd seen her, she'd been the strongest person he'd ever know. But now, she looked so vulnerable, he didn't know what to do or say. So he went with his gut feeling, doing the same thing that he'd done when they were young.

"I'm right here with, you can do this", he said, and together, they walked into the room.

"Ana, you're here!", Kate said, and grinned. Ana ran up to her, and hugged her tightly. The men left the room, sensing the girls' need to talk.

"So what was that?", Kate said, when Christian and Elliot had left the room.

"What was what?", Ana asked innocently, but she knew that she wouldn't get out of the situation. Kate had seen her and Christian walk in together, hand in hand, and she wasn't going let the subject go.

"Ana, you and Christian held hands! Is there something going on between you two, or is it forced because of you know what?"  
"No! I mean, he's been nice to me all day, and I was afraid that something serious had happened to you. Seattle has taken away many people that I love, and I was scared that you would be the next. He supported me, and helped me to get to you", Ana said, and Kate smiled a small smile through her pain.

"Really? That's awesome, maybe this will work out anyway", Kate said with a smirk, and Ana started to laugh.

"Yeah, right… We'll see", Ana said, as she saw the brothers walking back into the room.

"Hey girls, how's it going?", Elliot said, and sat down in a chair next to Kate. Ana just happened to yawn, and Kate giggled.

"It was going good, but I guess I bored her out! Christian, will you take her back to the hotel?", Kate said, and Christian smiled.

"Sure, I'll do it. I hope you'll get better, Ms. Kavanagh. Bye", he said, and they left the room.

They arrived back at the hotel ten minutes later, and Ana turned to him.

"Thank you, again. Wow, it seems to be the only words I've told you today", she said giggling.

"You're welcome, now get some sleep. You need it; it's been a long day."

"It has indeed", she agreed, and smiled tiredly.

"Good night Anastasia, sleep well."

"Good night Christian."

And after those words, she kissed his cheek and stepped out of the car, leaving him to go to her room for some well-deserved sleep.

The hours seemed to go quickly during work, Christian felt as if he'd worked for four hours instead of eight. He was the only one left at work and he was getting ready to leave. He locked up, and drove to meet up with a friend. He thought about the day he'd spent with Ana; it had been a day he treasured. But now he had to clear his mind, get back the control he needed in his life. The control he would use the entire weekend. He arrived to his destination, and waited. But he didn't have to wait too long, she arrived just in time.

"Christian, it's been too long"; she said, and kissed both of his cheeks.

"It's nice to see you too, Elena…"

Ana had been with Kate the entire day, and talked about the previous day. But she also realized that she still had his jacket, so she decided to bring it to him that evening. To show her gratitude, she brought a bottle of wine. She still knew the codes to the apartment so she decided to surprise him. It had been fine yesterday, and if it wasn't, Mrs. Jones could take the jacket and wine and give it to him later. She went up in the elevator and reached the penthouse, it still looked like a museum, but she noticed that the housekeeper wasn't there. It was quiet, and he didn't appear to be home. Ana looked around the apartment, he wasn't in his office or bedroom. There was another door, right by the office, and she opened the door to see if he was there. The sight shocked her; it was like she walked into the Spanish Inquisition. Everything was red, and on the walls, different types of objects were displayed. There was a huge red bed with satin sheets in the middle of the room. But that wasn't what shocked her. In the corner of a room, a young brunette was kneeling. She didn't wear any clothes, only her panties. And even though Ana screamed in a surprise, she didn't move an inch. She looked at the woman, who only said:

"I'm waiting for my sir."

Ana left the room, wondering what the hell was wrong with Christian. Did he use those things on that girl, how sick wasn't that?! She walked out to the living room, getting ready to leave, when he appeared. His face was cold and controlled, but for a few seconds, she saw surprise in his eyes. But he took control, and showed her another side of him.

"Why are you here?", he asked, in a controlled language and soft, like a deadly attack. But she wasn't scared; she wanted to know the truth.

"Why the hell is there an almost naked girl in one of your room?! And it just happen to be a room where it looks like the Spanish Inquisition has been?!"

"That's none of your business, you shouldn't even be here", he said, anger and ice showing in his eyes.

"I guess so, but I wanted to give you your jacket, and give you something to show that I really appreciated what you did for me yesterday, but I guess I'm unwanted. You are clearly not gay; you're fucked-up!", she yelled in anger, and he pushed her into the wall. He had control over every single inch of her body.

"You don't know a single thing about me or my life, don't act like you do. You left Seattle sixteen years ago, and you can't expect that everything is the same, or that I will do anything you tell me too just like that. But I'll let you know; I am fucked-up. Live with it", he said, and his control disappeared. He kissed her; possessed her mouth. He made her gasp in surprise, which he took to his advantage; forcing in his tongue in her mouth. His arms held her again the wall, and his erection was evident against her thighs. But just as she started to kiss him back, he left. She was dizzy and breathless; what was that? Then he came back, a bunt of papers in his hand. Christian shoved the papers into her hands.  
"Here the thing that brought you back here. I hope you enjoy your time free from me, because you're going to spend a lot more with me than you thought. Now, leave", he said, and walked into his bedroom.

She left the apartment as quickly as possible, wanting nothing to do to him. He was sick! There was no way she would marry that man, but as she sat in a cab on her way back to the hotel, her eyes kept going to the contract. She was curious about it, and as soon as she arrived at her hotel room, Ana started to read.

Christian took off his working clothes, and dressed himself in his greyish jeans; anger from earlier still affecting him. She'd got to him, and his control slipped in the wrong moment.

"Argh!", he screamed, trying to get the anger to leave his mind and body. But then he remembered Sarah, and the best way to get rid of his feelings. He walked with a confident stride to his playroom and opened the door, finding the woman placed in her correct position. He was up to a wall and took one of the cats, and then he walked up to her.

"Do you remember the safe words?"

**Hi everyone! I'm so glad that you liked the last chapter, I wanted to show another side of Christian, and the response was amazing! Here's another side of him, and I hope you'll like it! I'm sorry for the long wait (we have crazy much in school!), but this is my longest chapter so far, and I hope you'll review what you think. I promise that the next update will come sooner! Once again, review!**

**/Fijah **


	9. Chapter 9

_He couldn't do it._

His rage made him lose his control, and the evening ended with a broken contract and a scotch, not with Sarah. He looked out over the view of Seattle; the city was full of life in the dark night. If it had been two weeks ago, he'd fucked Sarah and been content after been her Dom, but that was then. That was _before she returned_. He knew that this would happen if she came to close to him; he knew that it would make him lose his control. The anger spread all over his body, and with a frustrated growl, he threw his glass across the floor. His hands went through his hair; showing his exasperation. But he gathered his thoughts soon, thinking about what he could expect from the coming months. His frustrated frown soon turned into a small smirk; he'd regained his control. Christian knew how to push her buttons, and he was looking forward to making her losing her control. His earlier promise was recreated in his mind; _she'll never have control over you again_. He took one last look on the city, and then he went to bed, falling asleep right away. But what he didn't know was that the woman he'd been thinking about hadn't fallen asleep yet. Instead, Ana sat in her bed, crying her heart out. In her hands were the papers that would transform her life into a prison. The contract signed by her mother and godparents that in a few months would be fulfilled.

_Three months later, December 18__th_

_Her clear blue eyes were lit up, taking in her surrounding with wondrous looks. She couldn't believe how beautiful the place was! She was in a meadow by the Sound in Seattle; the grass so green and the Sound so blue; she couldn't believe what she saw. Flowers grew everywhere, making different colors glow against the green; pink, red, yellow. Trees were surrounding her, their branches with leaves falling down beside her. She looked behind her and saw a beautiful light brown Mediterranean house in a modern style; it was beautiful. She heard voices coming from the inside and grew curious, wondering who it could be. Then she saw her dad, Ray. His eyes were sparkling, and he laughed with a woman who walked beside him. The woman looked amazing; she had brown hair and hazel eyes, filled with warmth and mirth. Ana tried to remember the familiar woman, but she couldn't figure out who she was, and why she was with her father. But as soon as the woman turned her head, Ana immediately knew who she was. But it wasn't possible. She walked up to the water and looked at her reflection, expecting to see a young woman. But instead, she saw a six-year-old girl. It couldn't be real, it was impossible. But the woman made her stop daydreaming._

"_Ana, darling! The Grey's are here, are you coming?", Carla said, and grinned when she saw her daughter run as fast as she could to get to her waiting parents. Ana didn't even know why she ran; she thought she did it because she was excited to see Mia, Grace and Carrick. But her actions surprised her; she ran right up to Christian, and they hugged each other for a long time. They had been separated for four months; the longest time that ever had passed without them seeing each other. The grown-ups just smiled, and sat down at the porch, catching up with the latest news in the business world. Elliot and Mia ran in the garden; playing tag. But Christian and Ana didn't join them; instead, they walked down to the water and dipped their feet. She felt truly happy with him by her side; it was like he was meant to be there. And the best thing was that he seemed to feel the same way. When they were apart, she was a shy girl and he was a boy who always got in trouble. But together, everything seemed to be in place in the world._

"_I've missed you", she said, and was rewarded with his shy smile; a smile she knew he'd reserved for her, and only her._

"_I've missed you too. These four months without you have been hard", he said quietly. Even though he was comfortable with her, Ana knew that he still had issues from his childhood to work with before he would let down his walls and let her in completely. _

"_Yeah, but I have some good and bad news…"_

"_Really? Start with the bad", he said and she sighed._

"_Mommy and daddy says that we're moving from the house. I love our house, I don't want to move!", she said, and he hugged her, he gave her comfort. But then she turned her face up to look him in the eyes with a small smile._

"_But here is the good news. We're moving into the city. It's closer to everything, and to you. So now, we'll be able to see each other more often!", she said with enthusiasm, and he hugged her even harder with glee. She giggled loudly, and he put her back down on the ground. _

"_I know that you'll miss the house, but don't worry. Someday, you are going to love here again. I swear that I'll buy you this house in the future", he said confidently, and she looked up at him with happiness and tears in her eyes. She took out her hand, and pointed out her pinky. _

"_Pinky-swear?" He chuckled, but he did the same thing, and locked his pinky with hers._

"_Pinky-swear."_

_Happy with his answer, she leaned her head again his shoulder and enjoyed their moment together. Together, they watch the sunset by the Sound, and enjoyed their moment. Ana knew she would miss the house, but she would be back in the future, with Christian. She tilted her face up, and saw him looking at her._

"_Ana? Ana?"_

"Huh?"

"Ana, wake up!"

For a moment, she didn't know where she was or who was calling her name repeatedly, but as soon as Kate's face appeared in front of her, she knew. As soon as she realized that she woke up, she realized that she'd woken up in one of the bedrooms at the Grey Mansion. _Today was her wedding day_.

"Hello? Ana, you have to wake up now. Grace and Mia are on their way with the make-up artist and hairdresser", Kate said, knowing that Ana didn't want this day to happen, ever. She felt bad for her best friend; the girl that'd dreamed of meeting her match since she was a little girl. Today, she had to marry a man that she barely knew. But Kate was puzzled. When she'd been at the hospital, she'd been happy in Christian's company. Now, she avoided him whenever she could. When they were at a function or with the Grey's, she acted like she was happy about marrying her childhood friend. But secretly, Kate heard her crying every night in the apartment they bought together after announcing the engagement. She wanted to take the sadness away from her best friend, but she knew that it was impossible. The day of the winter wedding had arrived.

Ana smiled a fake smile at Kate, and got out of the bed. She dressed herself in a robe and sat down in a chair, waiting for everyone to arrive. She didn't have to wait long; Grace and Mia came in with huge smiles and three women walking after them. Ana was pampered and prepared for three hours, and all the time, she acted as if it was the happiest day in the world. But she felt like running away and never coming back; she never knew that the visit to Seattle would lead to this. But she had to be positive even though she didn't want to; at least she got her dream wedding. It was held at Grace and Carrick's mansion, and the theme was winter wonderland. Everything was in red, white and silver, and she'd seen the decorations before; everything was beautiful. She barely noticed that the people that'd worked on her appearance were done, and Grace had some tears trickling down her cheeks. Ana looked at herself in the mirror; she barely recognized herself. Her brown hair was tied in a bun in the back, with a few locks framing her face. Her make-up was light with mascara, white eye shadow, eyeliner and red lips; she was stunning. She shook her head and headed for the bathroom where the dress was. She'd bought it with Kate, Mia and Grace a month ago, and she loved it. It was an Alexander McQueen with a bodice made of lace flowers which ended by her waist, and there white satin flowed down her body beautifully. When she stepped out of the bathroom, Grace, Mia and Kate were in tears. Grace hugged her; welcomed her to the family, then she left when Ray entered.

"Oh baby girl, you look amazing! I only wish that your mom could see you today, she would be so proud of you", Ray said, and Ana felt the tears in her eyes.

"I wish she was here too", she said, so quiet that Ray couldn't hear her, then Kate called for them.

"It's time."

Christian stood by the alter, waiting for the bridal party to come down the aisle. Mia was a bridesmaid and walked with Kate's brother Ethan, and then came the best man and maid of honor; Elliot and Kate. It was time for the bride, and the music started to play the traditional "Bridal Chorus". He saw Ana and Ray walk down the aisle, and he had to admit; he'd never seen a more beautiful woman. This should be the happiest day of his life; when he was younger, he dreamed of marrying Ana; of making her his. Now that dream became true. The only problem; he didn't want it anymore. And Ana didn't know anything about their past, which only makes the situation worse. But there they were; getting married in his parents' backyard. Ana reached his side, and he took her hand from Ray. He noticed the fake smile, which he matched, as they faced the priest.

As the priest talked, she finally started to realize what was happening; the wedding was going on and she would become Mrs. Anastasia Grey. Suddenly Christian turned to look at her.

"Christian, Anastasia, it's time to say the vows", the priest said, and Christian looked at her.

"I, Christian, take you, Anastasia Rose, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."

"I, Anastasia Rose, take you, Christian, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."

"Christian, do you take Anastasia Rose for your lawful wedded wife, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort, and cherish her from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto her for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do", he said, and put a beautiful diamond ring on her finger.

"Anastasia Rose, do you take Christian for your lawful wedded husband, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort, and cherish him from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto him for as long as you both shall live?

"I do", she said and put a platinum ring on his finger.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. Christian, you may now kiss your bride", the priest said with a huge smile.

Christian looked at her, and started to lean in. Their lips met in a chaste kiss, but sparks flew. He wanted to take her away from the altar, and take there and then, but it was their wedding and even though her smile was fake; he didn't want to ruin their day even more.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Christian Grey!"

Everybody started clapping, and he noticed the tears on his mother's and sister's cheeks as he led his wife down the aisle. They smiled for the guests and walked with them towards a tent that was put up for the reception. A huge stage and dance floor was put in the middle, and tables surrounded them. The table for the bride, groom, bridal party and closest family was placed in front of the dance floor, so they could see everything and be seen by everyone at all time. Ana and Christian sat down and started to eat and chat with their loved ones.

Ray and Carrick talked about the past with Christian and Elliot, while Mia, Kate and Grace talked about the wedding. There were photographers there and on every picture, they saw a new family enjoying their day. But what they couldn't see was the faked happiness from the bride and groom. They couldn't see the dullness in the brides eyes when they danced the first dance to "So close" by John McLaughlin. They couldn't hear the fake laugh from the groom when they cut the cake. They couldn't see the stiffness in the couple's shoulders when the guests clinked their glasses for kisses. The only thing they saw was a couple in love who celebrated their reunion in marriage. The time flew by and soon, it was 02.00 and time for everyone to leave.

"I'm so happy for you darling, you managed to marry a great man and I'm sure that your mom would have been just as proud as me when it comes to the woman you've grown up to be", Ray said, and Ana threw her arms around his neck.

"I love you daddy", she whispered.

"I love you too Annie. And Christian, take care of my daughter", Ray said, and shook his hand.

"I promise", Christian said, then his family arrived and both he and Ana got hugs and kisses from everyone.

"We have to go Christmas shopping when you come back, you, me and Kate!", Mia said enthusiastically, and Kate nodded in agreement.

"Definitely! And I'll miss you! Have wonderful days in Paris! I love you", Kate said and hugged her, and then she left with Elliot.

"Oh Ana, I'm so glad that you're family now! I hope that you and Christian will have a wonderful time together, and we'll see you the 25th", Grace said, and hugged her son and new daughter-in-law. Carrick followed her, and then the couple was alone.

"Let's go, I have a wedding gift for you", Christian said, and together they walked through the sea of photographers to his car, and they drove away from the mansion in silence. Ana tried to collect her thoughts about the day, but the only thing that popped up in her head were the words; _I'm married to Christian Grey_. They drove in the darkness, and she had no idea where they were going. But in some way, she recognized the road. It was familiar. After thirty minutes of driving, they reached gates which led up a driveway. The gates opened and Christian drove up to a familiar house in Mediterranean style; the house from her dream. Her jaw dropped in shock; she couldn't believe it.

"I promised you that I would take you back here someday. You might not know it, but it meant a lot to your mom, and I saw that it was for sale about two months ago. We'll sleep here tonight, and leave for Paris tomorrow", Christian said, and stepped out of the car. Ana followed him in, where he disappeared, and saw that the house was perfect; it was cozy, modern and nice. She would explore it more when they came back from Paris, but she had to go to the meadow. She had to see it after her dream. She walked towards the garden with determination, and in the meadow she found Christian watching the Sound.

"What are you doing out here?", she said, and he turned around to face her.

"I should ask you the same question", he said, and turned around again. She walked up to him and sat down in the grass.

"I had a dream last night. You, your family and my family were in it. We were here, and you promised me that you would buy me this house in the future. I had to see if this place was real", she said quietly, and he looked at her.

"I believe that you just remember a piece of our past", he said, and she stood up.

"Can you tell me more about that day? Or any day here? I want to know about this place; why it was so important for me."  
"You grew up here, your mom and Ray bought it when you were three. End of story", he said, and started to walk back to the house.

"Why won't you tell me about our past? Why won't you open up to me?", she said in anger, and he turned around.

"It is my choice to speak about, and I simply don't want to bring up the past", Christian said in a controlled and cold voice.

"Oh right, I forgot that you are a control freak who doesn't like the fact that people want to get to know you! I forgot that you are cold hearted and that you like to whip little girls, that you're a sadist!", she yelled, angry.

"You don't know anything about that night, or about me. Don't talk about things you don't know or understand!", he said, as he was losing his control.

"Exactly, so please enlighten me. What is it that you like about whipping that girl? Is it power, or control? Or are you just sick?!"

"I just told you to don't talk about things you don't know anything about!", he said, and he walked up to her. His control was long gone, and he grabbed her waist and kissed her; possessed her mouth.

At first she couldn't believe what was happening, but then she started to kiss him back; a move that only turned them both on more. His hand roamed her body and her hands twisted in his hair; pushing his head towards hers. Suddenly, he lifted her up and she fastened her legs at his waist as he carried her inside the house and towards the master bedroom. He opened the door, but as soon as they were inside the room, he closed it and pushed her up against it. His tongue ravished her mouth, and they kissed like tomorrow didn't exist. His lips left hers and made their way down her throat and he started to kiss her neck. She moaned loudly; she never felt anything like this before. As he continued to kiss her neck, she started to unbutton his shirt slowly. It was soon tossed on the floor, but as soon as she was about to touch him, he turned her around. She was confused, which he sensed, and he leant forward.

"You look sensational in the dress, but right now, it's in the way", he said, and pulled down the zipper. The dress was left in a pile on the floor, and with his help she stepped out from the garment. She'd never felt so exposed as she stood in front of his; only clad in bra and panties in white lace. But the look in his eyes told her that she had nothing to be embarrassed about; he looked at her with desire and lust in his eyes, and he started to kiss her again.

He slowly led her to the bed and laid her down with him on top. Christian started to kiss her breasts, and after he removed her bra, he started to suck, nib and lick her nipples. Moans left her throat instantly, as his mouth left her right nipple and started to work on her left. His hand roamed her body, and she never thought that this would bring her so much pleasure. With slightly shaking hands, she started to unzip his fly, and he kicked of his jeans in haste. She noticed his erection, and it connected with her through their underwear. A moan left both throats and he started to take off her panties. She lay before him, completely naked, and he started to kiss his way down her body. He put two fingers inside of her, felt her wetness, and started to pump his finger in a steady pace. Her body was on fire, and the feeling was intensified when he replaced his fingers with his tongue. He sucked and licked, and as soon as he made a sharp lick to her clit, she came. It was amazing; she almost saw stars before her eyes.

He kissed his way up her body, and kissed her passionately. She tasted herself, which only turned her on even more. He peeled his boxers off and retrieved a condom from the bedside table. He put the condom on his dick and positioned himself between her legs. Her blue eyes connected with his grey ones; both were filled with desire and lust.

"Anastasia Grey", he whispered, and then he pushed himself into her.

He starts pumping his cock inside her, and she moans as she tilts her pelvis up to meet him in his thrusts. He groans as she moves her finger through his hair, and he kisses her long and hard. He quickens his pace, and sets a pounding rhythm. Ana's breath quickens and she feels her legs stiffen. Suddenly a mind-blowing orgasm erupts from her and she screams her name.

"Fuck, Ana!", he says as he follows, and he collapse on her.

He rolls of her and they attempt to catch their breath. He falls asleep soon after, but even though she's exhausted, Ana couldn't fall asleep. She couldn't believe what'd just happened. It all started with their argument, and ended with a real wedding night. Ana had just married Christian and lost her virginity to him. But the exhaustion made her fall asleep, even though her mind was completely awake. In her dreams, she saw a copper-haired boy with grey eyes together with a brown-haired girl with blue eyes.

**Hey!**

**I loved your response for the last chapter, and here you have the next one! I really hope you like it, and this is the first time I'm writing a sex scene so I hope it's alright. Please keep on reviewing, and you'll have the next chapter out during the next week! **

**/Fijah **


	10. Chapter 10

She woke up, feeling disorientated. She looked around the room and tried to remember where she was. The room was big, and she was lying in a king-sized bed, all alone. The sheets were made by the finest Egyptian cotton, and she was naked and alone. Then she remembered where she was. Her childhood home. The home she'd dreamt about the night before her wedding. She looked down on her fingers and noticed the platinum ring with a huge diamond on it, she was married. To Christian. And they had just had a real wedding night. Ana suddenly felt dizzy; she'd lost her virginity to a man who enjoyed whipping girls. She suddenly wanted to puke, she felt sick. But the soreness between her legs protested against her every move. So she stayed in the bed, trying to think about what had happened during the last twenty-four hours.

_Flashback_

_"I, Christian, take you, Anastasia Rose, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."_

_"I, Anastasia Rose, take you, Christian, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."_

_"Christian, do you take Anastasia Rose for your lawful wedded wife, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort, and cherish her from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto her for as long as you both shall live?"_

_"I do", he said, and put a beautiful diamond ring on her finger._

_"Anastasia Rose, do you take Christian for your lawful wedded husband, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort, and cherish him from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto him for as long as you both shall live?_

_"I do", she said and put a platinum ring on his finger._

_"Let's go, I have a wedding gift for you", Christian said, and together they walked through the sea of photographers to his car, and they drove away from the mansion in silence. Ana tried to collect her thoughts about the day, but the only thing that popped up in her head were the words; I'm married to Christian Grey. They drove in the darkness, and she had no idea where they were going. But in some way, she recognized the road. It was familiar. After thirty minutes of driving, they reached gates which led up a driveway. The gates opened and Christian drove up to a familiar house in Mediterranean style; the house from her dream. Her jaw dropped in shock; she couldn't believe it._

_"I promised you that I would take you back here someday. You might not know it, but it meant a lot to your mom, and I saw that it was for sale about two months ago. We'll sleep here tonight, and leave for Paris tomorrow", Christian said, and stepped out of the car._

_"Why won't you tell me about our past? Why won't you open up to me?", she said in anger, and he turned around._

_"It is my choice to speak about, and I simply don't want to bring up the past", Christian said in a controlled and cold voice._

_"Oh right, I forgot that you are a control freak who doesn't like the fact that people want to get to know you! I forgot that you are cold hearted and that you like to whip little girls, that you're a sadist!", she yelled, angry._

_"You don't know anything about that night, or about me. Don't talk about things you don't know or understand!", he said, as he was losing his control._

_"Exactly, so please enlighten me. What is it that you like about whipping that girl? Is it power, or control? Or are you just sick?!"_

_"I just told you to don't talk about things you don't know anything about!", he said, and he walked up to her. His control was long gone, and he grabbed her waist and kissed her; possessed her mouth._

_He kissed his way up her body, and kissed her passionately. She tasted herself, which only turned her on even more. He peeled his boxers off and retrieved a condom from the bedside table. He put the condom on his dick and positioned himself between her legs. Her blue eyes connected with his grey ones; both were filled with desire and lust._

_"Anastasia Grey", he whispered, and then he pushed himself into her._

_He starts pumping his cock inside her, and she moans as she tilts her pelvis up to meet him in his thrusts. He groans as she moves her finger through his hair, and he kisses her long and hard. He quickens his pace, and sets a pounding rhythm. Ana's breath quickens and she feels her legs stiffen. Suddenly a mind-blowing orgasm erupts from her and she screams his name._

_"Fuck, Ana!", he says as he follows, and he collapse on her._

_End flashback_

Her thoughts were disturbed by Christian entering the room, newly showered and dress in a grey shirt and a pair of dark jeans. He just walked by her, not showing any emotion.

"We'll be leaving in an hour, I suggest you get ready. Mrs. Jones has prepared breakfast for you, and I won't be joining you. I have some last minutes business to deal with", he said, then left her again.

She let out a frustrated groan, then wrapped the sheets around her and walked over to the bathroom to shower. Her thoughts were running wild. He completely ignored her; he treated her like nothing had happened. But how could he? They'd slept together. It all started with an argument, and then he kissed. She never experienced such a passionate kiss, filled with sparks that she couldn't forget. Ana wondered if he'd ever kissed a girl he whipped with that passion, but she quickly pushed away that thought. Even though she looked very similar to her, she knew that she would never let Christian do that to her, that she was different. She ended her shower and dressed herself in a blue halter neck dress and nude-colored heels from Louboutin. She applied a little make-up and put her hair up in a loose bun. She then walked down to find Mrs. Jones making her an omelet.

"Good morning Mrs. Grey", she said with a smile, and placed the plate with the omelet on a table. Ana wasn't used to hearing her new name, but reacted in a few seconds.

"Thank you Mrs. Jones, but please, call me Ana", she said, returning her smile. Mrs. Jones nodded, and smiled once again before she disappeared. Ana ate in silence; enjoying her last moments alone before the honey moon. Even though she was still confused and quite pissed with Christian, she still looked forward to going to Paris. She'd always wanted to go to Europe, especially London. But Paris was the city of lights and romance; perfect destination for a honey moon. She was excited to see the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and Notre Dame, so she tried to stay positive in her thoughts.

Christian walked through the doors to the kitchen to find his wife sitting by the table, deep in thoughts. _She looks beautiful_ was the first words that crossed his mind, but he quickly stopped himself from uttering those words. Instead he cleared his throat to announce that he was there, and she looked at him with her blue eyes.

"Time to go, are you ready?"

He watched her taking her plate to the dishwasher, then she walked up to him and nodded. He then turned around and started to walk to the car. She followed him like a shadow, but he noticed her looking around the house. He felt a bit guilty for not showing her the house, but she'd have time to explore it when they came back from Paris. Taylor and Mrs. Jones stood outside, waiting for the newlyweds. Mrs. Jones wished them a nice honeymoon, and Taylor opened the backdoor for his employer and his wife, and then he seated himself behind the wheel and started to drive towards the airport. Ana saw paparazzi all around them, and the press asked questions about their relationship and the wedding. Christian simply took her hand, and gave her a gentle smile before Taylor helped them get through the crowd. She smiled back, and took the character as a happy wife, in love with her husband. He led her through the press and onboard his company's private jet.

Once they were in the air, he turned cold again. _Maybe he's bipolar_…, Ana thought, but then the stewardess came, obviously attracted by Christian's looks. She sighed, but smiled nevertheless.

"Hello, I'm Clare, and welcome aboard this plane. We'll be landing in Paris in about eight hours, so lunch and dinner will be served during the flight. The time is now 10.00 am, and lunch will be served at 12.30 pm. If there's anything you need, please call for me", she said, looking especially at Christian when she said the last thing. Then she left and Ana rolled her eyes at her behavior.

"You know, it's not polite to roll your eyes at people", Christian said before starting to read a newspaper and Ana looked at him.

"Well, it's not polite to practically throw yourself at a married man when his wife is looking", she said, and Christian started to chuckle.

"Already jealous, dear?", he said, amused. She ignored his comment, and took up her newly purchased Ipad. She figured that a way to ignore him was to find something else to do, but there wasn't much on a jet. So she plugged in her headphones and started to watch a movie; Gentlemen Prefer Blondes with Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell. She enjoyed the comedy and successfully distracted herself from her husband.

Eight hours later, the jet landed and she was truly excited. She was in Paris, and was going to stay for a whole week! She heard a man chuckle behind her, and saw Christian standing there.

"Excited?"

"Yes, I've never been in Paris before, let alone Europe. I and Ray didn't travel much during my teenage years, he started his business and I went to school so there wasn't a lot time for traveling. We went to Niagara Falls when I turned eighteen, but that's it. I guess you've been here before?", she asked.

"Twice, but only on business trips, never on a vacation. I haven't had a real holiday since before starting my company", he said, and she looked at him.

"How old were you when you started your company? Grace mentioned that you dropped out of Harvard, then started Grey Enterprises Holdings Inc.", she asked, and was rewarded with a small smile from Christian.

"I was twenty-one. I was majoring in business at Harvard, but I didn't like it so I dropped out when I was twenty. My family wasn't supporting my decision at first, but I guess that they accepted it when they realized that it was the best decision for me. And thanks to an investment from a family friend, I was able to start my company. Now eight years later, the company is very successful and I'm really pleased with the progress it's making each year", he said, and Ana noticed to tone of pride in his voice. He was truly proud over his work and his company, and she smiled at him.

"Come on, let's go. We need to go to our hotel", he said, and their moment was over. He took her hand and led her out of the airport and over to a car. Even in Paris, the press couldn't leave them alone. After they'd been seated in the car and the driver started to drive them to the Ritz, she started to giggle. She had no idea why, and expected Christian looking at her like she was crazy, but he wasn't. He had a small smile on his lips.

"What's so funny?"

"Not even in Paris, you're able to avoid the women and the press. You've might only been here twice, but you seems to have made some impressions", she said, and he chuckled quietly, as she kept giggling.

"Monsieur, Madame. We've arrived at the Ritz. I wish you a pleasant stay, and please call if you need the car during the week."

Christian paid, and together they walked in to the hotel and checked in. Once again he took her hand, and even though they only did it for show, neither of them wanted to admit how nice it felt. They went up to the room, only to realize that Grace and Carrick had booked them the honeymoon suite. The whole room was decorated in white, silver and red, a redecoration after the theme of the wedding. In the middle was a huge king sized bed, which made Ana blush. They'd avoided talking about the wedding night, and he seemed to be in a good mood, which she didn't want to destroy.

"If it's okay with you, I think I'll order some room service, and then take a shower. Do you want anything?", he asked.

"I'd like a chocolate cake, thank you. Is it okay if I change into something comfortable?", she asked, and he nodded.  
"I'll take the shower now, and then I change as well." He walked to the phone and ordered the chocolate cake for Ana and a chocolate-covered cheesecake for himself. Then he walked into the shower and Ana changed into sweats and a t-shirt. Once again, she looked around the suite and noticed a pair of doors that led to a balcony.

She put on a blazer and walked out to watch the city. It was winter, and the snow was falling around her, but it was one of the most beautiful sights she'd ever seen. The Eiffel Tower was lighting up the entire city, and the snow reflected in the light; making the scene in front of her seem like something that only happens in fairytales.

"It's really beautiful."

She turned around to see Christian newly-showered, also mesmerized by the view. He was also wearing a pairs of sweats with a t-shirt, and for the first time in a long time, she felt at ease.

"I agree. I always thought that everybody exaggerated about Paris's beauty, but now I realize that everything they said was true. I've only been here for an hour, but I'm already falling in love with the city", she said with a small smile, but shivered as she felt a chill. It was cold, and Christian noticed her shivering. He took a step towards her and enveloped her in his arms, trying to warm her up.

At first she was shocked, but instead of pushing him away, she leaned into his embrace. He warmed her up, and for a few minutes, the couple just enjoyed the peaceful moment. It was perfect, and she turned around to face him.

"Thank you for this", she said, and he smiled.

"You're very welcome."

They looked at each other, and unconsciously they leaned towards each other, but right before their lips met, someone knocked at the door.

"Roomservice!"

Ana and Christian jumped apart, and the moment that earlier had been so magical, turned awkward. Christian walked to the door, and paid the waiter before shutting the door in his face. Ana was still in shock; they'd almost kissed.

"Ana? Do you want a glass of white wine with the chocolate cake?", he said, and she nodded absentmindedly. His demure changed completely, and he was now cold-Christian again. She sighed before returning back to their room. She wished for their moment to be back, but she saw that Christian was back in control. They ate in silence, and not another word was uttered that night.

**Hi everybody! I'm so sorry I haven't been updating for almost a month! I promise that the next chapter will be out within the week. I'm also sorry that the chapter is a bit shorter that my latest chapters but I've recently returned from a school trip in Berlin, so I'm a bit tired. And I have tons in school (no surprise there…). Anyway, thank you for all the reviews! And for you who asked about monogamy, neither Christian nor Ana will cheat in this story, but that's all I'm telling! Please keep reviewing, they make my day! And you'll never have to wait this long for a new chapter again! :P **

**/Fijah **


	11. Chapter 11

She woke up alone the next morning, and it wasn't a surprise. As soon as desserts were finished yesterday evening, he'd left for the lobby and booked another room under a different name. _Stupid megalomaniac billionaire…_ So he'd left her alone in the honeymoon suite, which she really didn't mind. He was still on the same floor as her, but still; she had her privacy now. Ana thought about the previous day; their moments. In some of them, he'd showed a different side of himself. He had passion; she saw it when he talked about his work and how proud he was of his company. He had compassion; when she'd been cold, he'd embraced her to make her warm again. But other than that, she always saw him taking control over himself before he'd open up to her. It was like he didn't want to lose any control with her, but he couldn't help it at times. But why? Did he feel like he had to hide from her? Had she done something when they were younger? Or was it because she knew his secret? She hadn't told anyone, not even Kate. Despite not liking him at the moment, she wanted him to trust her. But if he wasn't going to let her in, she didn't know what to do. Divorce him? She wanted to be happy. The questions bothered her, so she decided to push them away. Confidently, she walked to the shower from the bed, and started to relax. Today, she was in Paris, and she wasn't going to let him affect her again. Not today.

He felt the sweat over his entire body; he'd hired a personal trainer in Paris as well. He wanted, no, _needed_ to blow off some steam. He'd worked out for over one hour, and he looked at the time. 8.25 am. She'd be awake now. He felt strong at the moment, but he knew that she would break it down in just a few seconds. The whole situation felt bizarre as he thought about it.

"Same time tomorrow, monsieur?"

Christian looked over at the trainer who interrupted his thoughts, and nodded. The man left immediately and left Christian with his thoughts. He went back to his previous thought about his situation. He was a married man, and he wasn't married to just any woman. It was his _Anastasia_. Then he'd slept with her; not like with Sarah, Elena or any of the others, but just like a man in a vanilla relationship. He'd never done it with any other woman before, and it felt weird. But at the same time; almost all his firsts were with her. So if the situation had been different, he'd been cloud nine. Christian wanted to marry her when he was young, and now she was his. Legally. But she didn't want to be his. Inside; that hurt him. But he controlled himself. Promising himself to not fall or let her affect him again, Christian went towards his new suite and took a shower.

They met up by the elevator to head down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast, they shared the elevator with a few others and everyone fell in an awkward silence. The elevator signalized the arrival at the first floor, and Christian took Ana's hand and left for the restaurant. At first she didn't know why, but of course it was for they were in public. So she smiled at him and walked closer to him. In the restaurant, a waiter took their order for an omelet and granola and two glasses of orange juice, and then they left the main area for a more secluded and private table. It was quiet, neither of them knew what to say, but Christian decided to break it.

"How did you sleep?", he said with a smirk and a wink. She couldn't believe it, _what was he doing?!_ Then she saw the waiter who came in with a small smirk as well, it was obvious that he'd heard Christian.

"Very good, even though I didn't get much", she purred back, and Christian's smirk widened as the waiter blushed. He served the breakfast as quick as possible, and practically ran away from the table. Christian chuckled before he started to eat, and Ana seriously thought about her bipolar theory.

"So what are we doing today?", she asked, and he looked up at her.

"Well, we're going to the Louvre and then we're leaving to see Château de Versailles", he said, and her excitement grew. When she grew up, Ray had told her about Versailles. Of course she'd heard about it in school, but she'd always wanted to see it by herself. The history, culture and luxury intrigued her, even though she had no intention of ever living in such a grand place or in lux.

"Excited?"

She looked up at him and smiled.

"Yeah! Ray told me about it when I was nine or ten. He told me that I was his princess and that I deserved a life living in the most beautiful palace in the world, Versailles, with all my loved ones", she said, but he noticed a falter in her smile.

"What is it?"

"Well, about the loved ones, I told Ray that I wanted my mom and my best friend back. I guess that I meant you when I talked about my best friend, because Ray became silent after that and just hugged me…"

He didn't know how to respond to her answer. She wanted her mother back, that was understandable, but him? She'd thought about him during _that_ time, the time Elena came in to his life and changed it. _She'd missed him too_. An awkward silence followed her sentence, and they ate the rest of their breakfast quickly.

"If you're finished, let's go and get ready for the day", Christian said and grabbed her hand as she nodded.

They walked around at the Louvre and looked at all the pieces of art history. Everything from _Mona Lisa_ to _The Coronation of the Virgin_ was extraordinary, but Ana found it difficult to focus. It felt like they were watched the entire time, which was kind of true. What Christian had failed to mention when he said that he'd been in Paris for business before, was that he was quite well-known. Ana had expected some time in peace before they returned to Seattle, but they couldn't get away from the press. But she tried to ignore them as she looked at the art displayed. It was amazing to see everything. As a former student who majored in English Literature, she was also fascinated by art history, because she felt the every painting or sculpture had a story behind it.

Christian looked as well, but he wasn't too interested. The main reasons they'd visited was that Ana wanted to and that it's almost mandatory to visit when you're in Paris. He was looking forward to seeing Versailles; he'd seen pictures and was going to visit last time he was in Paris, but plans changed and he had to go to a meeting instead. But this time he was going to see it, together with Anastasia. He took a glance at her when she looked at some art; she looked bewitched. Her eyes lit up when she concentrated at the sculpture in front of her, and she looked very serene. He shook his head; no more thoughts about her like that. He checked his watch, and saw that they'd been at the Louvre for almost three hours.

"Anastasia? We need to leave for lunch now", he said to her, taking her out of her trance. She looked at him, and then smiled.

"Yeah, sorry. I tend to be captivated by culture, let's go", she said, and took his hand. He led her out of the museum, and saw photographers standing outside. They'd already been in the newspaper both in France and Seattle, which he was used to, but he knew that it bothered her. But one thing bothered him; one newspaper had written that their marriage was a scam for making him even more popular and taking her back to the socialite life in Seattle. Their proof? The couple didn't show any PDA even though they're newlywed and they "didn't look at each other with a sparkle in their eyes". Even though the magazine is correct, he didn't want anyone to believe it. Christian turned to her just before they walked up to the car.

"Follow my lead", and then he leaned in and started to kiss her.

When he stopped, she was confused. Wasn't it him who wanted to leave the Louvre in the first place? Then she thought that he was concerned about the press and waited for security, but nothing happened. She became even more confused when he whispered the words "follow my lead", but then he started to kiss her. His lips worked against her, and she heard the cameras click around them, so she followed his lead. The kiss grew more intense, and he grasped her tightly against him. One part of her enjoyed the kiss, but she could only think of two words; power and dominance. It was like he showed everyone that she was his property, that he owned her; she hated it. He started the kiss and ended it as well, and he leaned his forehead against hers. Ana opened her eyes to see his intense gaze, and they smiled. Their smiles were fake, but no one saw that. They saw the couple showing of their love without a care in the world, which was Christian's goal. He placed his hand on her waist, and led her to their car, while the cameras were snapping pictures every second.

When they were placed in the car, Ana turned in her seat to look at him.

"What's wrong, dear?", he said with a smirk. The bastard was enjoying this, and that was something she didn't like.

"You just had to kiss me in front of everybody? You do know that even though we're married, you don't own me!"

He turned to look her in the eyes, and the intensity in his eyes was the same she'd seen in his office a few minutes ago.

"I know that I doesn't own you, but if you'd read the newspapers from home, you'd seen that they call our marriage a fraud. We never show PDA or anything like normal newlyweds do, or we didn't until a few minutes ago. Would you want to explain to Ray and to my family that this whole thing is a scam?", he said, and she shut her mouth. He'd actually thought about their families, but why couldn't he talk to her?

"Okay, then maybe that was a good thing… But talk to me! Even though our marriage is a con, I want to know what's going on. And don't treat me like a freaking prize, I'm supposed to be your equal, not a trophy wife", she said annoyed, and he chuckled, which only annoyed her more. She is her own human being, not his.

"Whatever you say, dear".

"Don't. Call. Me. Dear. I hate it! It makes me feel like a trophy wife or someone bellow you", Ana said, and he started to chuckle again.

"Fine, just put a smile on your face, we have lunch", he said as the car stopped, and she sighed. Was she ever going to get to him and make him understand? But she put on the smile and stepped out of the car with him to face all the photographers.

Enchanting. That was the only word that came up in her mind as they stepped into the Hall of Mirrors. It was gorgeous. She saw that Christian was affected by the room as well, even though he'd been surrounded by luxury during his entire childhood. It was like they'd really gone back in time to the glory days of Versailles. Ana felt like she would meet the royalty of France when she turned a corner, and that she was a guest in one of the most wonderful times in history.

Christian looked in the mirrors that reflected him and his wife; the room was incredible. He looked at everything from the mats to the chandelier, and it was all pure luxury. It was breathtaking in every way. He looked at Ana in one of the mirrors, and her facial expression of pure wonder. He understood how he felt. But he also heard the clicking from a camera, so he walked up to her and put his arms around her.

"Do you like it?", he said, and she looked up at him with a huge, fake smile.

"How could I not like it?! Christian, this is stunning! Can you believe that we're in the room where the first World War ended?", she exclaimed, and he chuckled at her facial expression. Another thing he noticed was a sparkle in her eyes that he hadn't seen before on their honeymoon. It was like when she said she'd remembered a thing about their past. Their tour guide cleared his throat and continued to show them the palace, everything from the King's bedroom to Marie Antoinette's private apartment. After the tour, they got some alone time at the palace to walk around and see everything in their pace. The first place Ana dragged him to the garden; it had been wonderful, but the tour had only been in the garden for a few minutes. She walked up to a pond, which he recognized as the private parts of the garden which had belonged to Marie Antoinette. It was stunning, and he saw her walk up to the water and look at her surroundings while she sat down by the pond. He walked up to her, and sat down beside her.

"So, what do you think?", he said, and she sighed.

"It's astounding, awe-inspiring, and magnificent; every wonderful adjective I can think of and it still isn't enough! But I have a question, are we being followed or something? I feel like someone is looking at us", she said, and he started to laugh.

"I do agree with your statement about Versailles, and about your question. We're not being followed by a stalker or something, it's a private photographer hired by my mother to document our honeymoon. I guess I forgot to tell you", Christian said, and she looked at him. A private photographer? His facial expression told her to get over it, they're rich.

"Oh, okay. But is it okay if we take a picture on my phone here? I mean, we're on this beautiful place and we are married so I can have a background picture, like normal couples have…", she said quietly, and he looked at her.

"Sure".

"Okay, are you ready?", she said as she took up her iPhone, and he nodded as he sat closer beside her. Ana leaned against his shoulder and they both smiled for the camera as she took the photo. They looked happy, like a normal couple.

"The picture turned out nice. Can you send it to me?", he said, and she looked at him confused. "So I can have it as my background as well", he explained.

"Oh, okay. Yeah, I'll do it", she said with a smile, and they ended the day peacefully in the garden.

Their chauffeur drove them back to the hotel, and after dinner and a short good night, they went separate ways to their suites. But the night was young and she felt like getting a drink after their day, so she went down to the hotel bar.

"White wine please", Ana said as she sat down by the bar. But she wasn't alone for long, because after a few seconds, a man sat down by her.

"Her drink's on me, and a glass of whiskey for me". She turned around and looked at the man, he was in Christians age, and quite good-looking. Not as handsome as Christian, but he's a roman god so…

"Thanks, but you really didn't have to do that", she said, and he smiled as their drinks arrived.

"No problem, really. I just felt like buying a drink for the most beautiful woman in Paris", he said and Ana giggled.

"Now, how many times have you used that line on women?" He had the decency to look sheepish, but the sparkle in his eye didn't disappear.

"Maybe one or two times. The name's Marcus Johnson", he said and smiled.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Ana".

They talked for a few more minutes, but suddenly she felt uncomfortable. Marcus kept asking question, which she didn't want to answer. But when she felt his hand on her thigh, she quickly stepped away from him and left the bar to get away from him. A move that didn't help at all, as he followed her.

"Come on Ana, I think we were hitting it off, don't you?", he said as he walked closer to her.

"No, leave me alone. I'm here on my honeymoon, and I love my husband very much, so if you could back off, I would appreciate it", she said but he didn't stop his administrations.

"Oh, screw the husband, he doesn't have to know. This is between you and me, sweetheart", he said, as he walked closer to her.

"Please no, please…"

"I believe that my wife said no".

She turned around to see Christian, her savior. He walked up to Marcus and punched him in the jaw, which made him fall to his knees. Christian pulled him up by his collar, and whispered in his ear.

"If you ever get near my wife again, you'll wish you'd never been born. Got it?"

Marcus nodded, and Christian let go off him, making him fall to the floor again. Ana was shocked. She barely noticed that Christian took her hand and led her to the elevator. When they arrived to the top-floor, she needed to thank him. Even though he'd been a pain in her ass most of the time, he'd saved her from being raped.

"Thank you", she whispered, and he turned to face her. His eyes showed the fury he felt.

"Explain to me how you even got into that situation? You are fucking married! Do you have a habit of flirting with other men?", he said, and she became upset. She'd just thanked him, and instead of saying "you're welcome", he'd thought that she would cheat?!

"First of all; I would never cheat. Ever. Matrimony is sacred to me, and I would never do such a thing. Second; he bought me my drink right after I ordered it, and started a conversation. When he started to creep me out, I told him that I'm married. So don't accuse me of being a cheater!"

"Well, what do you think it looked like?! We're being followed by the press all the time, didn't it cross you mind that this could be a trick?!", he practically screamed, and she grew more and more angry.

"I'm sorry for wanting normality! I know that we're married, it's not like I can avoid the fact, but I am not a possession. I have friends who are men, and I will go out with them for drinks sometimes, without being accused of cheating!"

He pushed her up against the wall and kissed her, and he took advantage of her gasp; his tongue ravished her mouth greedily. She kissed him back with passion, and she felt as if her body was on fire. Her hands went to his hair, as his was placed firmly at her hips. But then Ana realized what was going on; they kissed again. She pushed him away from her, and looked at him.

"Stop doing that! In public, fine. There we have to. But leave me the fuck alone, you're not the owner of me", she said, and then slammed the door to her suite right in his face.

**Hey everybody! See, you didn't have to wait another month for the next chapter ;). Thanks for all the reviews! I almost have 200, which is insane! So thank you all so much, it's amazing to read them. Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed the chapter, please review and let me know what you think about it! **

**/Fijah **


	12. Chapter 12

She barely slept throughout the night; she'd thought about what Christian said and realized that he'd had a point. She could have been talking with a reporter, but she didn't care. So when she gotten dressed and walked out of the honeymoon suite to meet him, she prepared to apologize for her behavior. She wanted to admit that she was wrong; maybe that could be a small step to friendship. Ana checked her appearance in the mirror; she wore a grey skirt with a purple blouse and black heels. She looked okay, so she went out and saw Christian leaning against the wall next to her door. He wore grey pants with a dark shirt; it almost looked like they'd matched their clothing. He looked at her, and then started to walk towards the elevator without saying a word to her. Ana sighed; it was going to be a long day. They were alone in the elevator, so she tried to start talking to him.

"Good morning, Christian", she said, and he looked at her again, the coldness in his eyes evident.

"Anastasia", he said, and then turned his head towards the doors. She was slightly irritated when he ignored her, but she let it go. She wanted him to know that she understood the consequences of her flirting yesterday. But before she could start a sentence, the elevator stopped and Christian took her hand and led her to the restaurant. The waiter from yesterday showed them to a secluded table in the back, and left them quickly after taking their orders. The couple sat in silence, but after the breakfast was served, Ana couldn't take it anymore.

"Why are you ignoring me?

He looked up, and swallowed a piece of his mushroom omelet. He looked her directly in her eyes. "I thought you wanted me to leave you alone, unless we're in public. No one can see us here, so I didn't expect you to start a conversation on this subject", he said coolly, and then he returned to his omelet.

"I'm trying to apologize about last night, so please stop ignoring me and listen to me", she said and that caught his attention.

"So talk."

She took a small breath and looked him in his eyes. "I'm sorry about yesterday evening. I'm still getting used to being married, and when he offered me a drink, I didn't think about it at all. The consequences if he'd been a reporter weren't in my head, and that was disrespectful towards you. So I'm sorry", she said, and averted his intense gaze.

"Thank you, and I need to apologize for my inappropriate behavior. I didn't think about my actions, and I promise you that I won't do it again", Christian said, and she smiled a small smile.

"I think both of us were kind of hot-headed last night, so let's just forget it right now and enjoy our vacation in Paris", she said, and he smiled as well.

"We aim to please, Mrs. Grey."

They went back to their suites to get their things for the day; a trip to Sacré-Cœur and Montmartre was planned, and she was excited to see the part of Paris with all the artists and small cafés. When she was ready, she walked up to Christian's suite, and stood outside the door. She heard him talking to someone, and started to listen.

"_I told you that I'm in Paris for my honey moon, I can't attend business with Anastasia here."_

"_Elena, stop it! I know what the marriage means, especially for my lifestyle. I don't need a lecture from you."_

"_You of all people know everything. I've always been honest about my feelings, and I'm not going to screw up here!"_

She continued to listen shocked, while he seemed to listen to what the woman named Elena was saying. So yesterday, when he accused her of cheating, he was talking bullshit to her? She thought he was serious about monogamy and marriage, but she was apparently wrong.

"_Yes, I understand the problems I'm facing. But I can't tell her, at least not yet. She'd be running for the hills, and she would tell my parents right away. The situation I'm in isn't really ideal…"_

"_We'll talk about this later, I have to go meet up with Anastasia. I'll speak with you soon, bye Elena."_

He ended the call, and she tried to compose herself before she knocked on the door and put a smile on her face. He walked out of the room, and they left the hotel. Montmartre was the first stop, and they walked around in the small shops. Ana slightly avoided Christian when she had the possibility, but posed like a happy newly-wed in front of the cameras when she had to. Christian noticed the change in her behavior, but decided to bring it up later, back at the hotel. He didn't want to create a scene in front of everyone in Paris. After a small lunch, they walked and looked at all the artists' works. One older looking woman walked up to them with a friendly and warm smile.

"Voulez-vous une photo ensemble?", she asked, and Ana looked at Christian with a frown on her face.

"Oui, merci beaucoup", he said, and then turned to Ana with a smile on his face. "She wants to paint a picture of us, is that okay with you?"

She smiled and nodded, and they followed the lady to a corner just by Seine. She spoke in French to Christian for a few minutes, and he nodded. So she turned to her things and started to prepare herself.

"She wants us to find a comfortable seat here by the river, because it makes the setting more romantic according to her. Then she wants us to sit on these chairs, quite close. But the most important thing is that we're relaxed and comfortable, and that we're normal towards each other. You can pick a spot for us, I think you're the one of us that's more romantic", he said and she nodded again, and started to look around. There was a spot close by, under a tree with icicles and snow on the branches. A bridge further down a frozen Seine was seen from the spot, and it looked really cozy.

"Can you tell her that I want her to paint us over there? I'll take the chairs while you speak with her", Ana said, and Christian walked to the lady to give her the instructions.

They sat for about two hours, and then the painting was presented to them. She had drawn with watercolor, and she'd captured a beautiful moment. They looked like a real couple that was completely smitten with each other. It was amazing. In the corner of her eye, Ana saw that Christian thanked the woman for them, and paid her for the painting. She walked up to them and thanked the lady herself, but then the thoughts about the mystery woman named Elena started to reappear in her mind.

"Anastasia? Are you ready to go to Sacré-Cœur?"

Her thoughts were disturbed by his voice and worried eyes, and she smiled a little.

"Yeah, I'm okay. It's just that I have a headache, and I don't really feel like going to Sacré-Cœur. So if it's okay with you, could we go back to the hotel so I could rest?"

"Yeah, of course. I'll reschedule our visit to another day, so let's go", he said, while still looking at her worriedly.

When they arrived to the hotel, she immediately went up to the honeymoon suite, and asked for privacy to rest. He was confused. Her change in mood made him curious; she'd wanted a change in their relationship only a few hours ago, and now she avoided him? Christian sat in his suite, checking through his mail; even though he was on his honeymoon, his work never stopped. Nothing special had happened, and Roz could take care of it instead of him. He sighed, and put his phone on a table. He had no idea what he would do. Ana had a headache and had locked herself in in her suite, and he was in Paris. It wasn't like he just could walk out of the hotel and do something; the journalists would wonder where his wife was. So he was stuck in the hotel. Maybe he could call Elena again, and restart their conversation from earlier; calling a family member, especially his mother, wasn't going to happen. He thought about their conversation, and how Elena had changed the topic of the conversation quite fast, which he had expected.

"_Christian, it's been a while_."

"Hello Elena. What's your reason for calling?"

"_Oh, you are always cutting right to the chase. Very well, I wondered if you could talk to Mr. Rousseau about our business in Paris, the profit of the salon has reduced severely, and since you're in Paris, I thought that you could visit and find out the reason_."

"I told you that I'm in Paris for my honey moon, I can't attend business with Anastasia here."

"_Okay. Anyway, I need to be honest with you. I do not believe that this marriage is good for you, especially since you're a Dom and the girl hasn't got a clue about our lifestyle_."

"Elena, stop it! I know what the marriage means, especially for my lifestyle. I don't need a lecture from you."

"_Yes, Christian. You don't have to lecture me, and I will not tolerate that kind of tone from you. You know that I'm only looking after you. Anastasia has broken you heart before, and she didn't even know it. She can do it again. And you are an extremely successful businessman, which mean that your reputation can be damaged if she does anything wrong, like telling everyone about your involvement in BSDM_."

"Yes, I understand the problems I'm facing. But I can't tell her, at least not yet. She'd be running for the hills, and she would tell my parents right away. The situation I'm in isn't really ideal…"

"_No, it isn't. But you are in the situation, and you have to be smart, and not let her come close to you. If you do, she'll ruin your life._"

"We'll talk about this later, I have to go meet up with Anastasia. I'll speak with you soon, bye Elena."

"_Okay but remember my words. I'll see you and your wife at the New Year's Eve Party at your parents' mansion. I look forward to meet her. Good bye Christian_."

Elena's words were on repeat in his head, and he didn't know if he could let Ana in for even friendship, even if that were their deal this morning. But then another thought entered his mind. Ana's mood had changed after they'd parted ways, and when he went out meet her, her smiled towards him had been fake. She'd put on a nice façade when they were outside in public, but when no one had seen them, Ana pulled away from him. Had she eavesdropped on his conversation with Elena? That would explain it, and maybe she faked a headache to be left alone. But he didn't want theories; he wanted answers, and he was going to get them. He took his phone and key and left the suite to find his wife.

Christian knocked on the door, and after a few seconds, Ana opened the door; revealing a tired face and her body dressed in sweats. She looked at him confused.

"Christian? What's up?"

"I need to talk to you, so can you please let me in or should I let myself in?", he said in a serious tone, which only made her even more confused.

"Is it important? Because I still have this headache and I'm…"

"It's important", he said, interrupting her. She widened the gap between the door and wall, so he could enter the suite. He walked in, and she shut the door quietly behind him. Then she started to walk towards the bedroom, where he saw a film on the TV and Advil on the nightstand with a bottle of water. So she had a headache…

She sat down on the bed, and he grabbed a chair and put it in front of her.

"So, what's going on?", she said, and he looked at her.

"I want you to answer me honestly on this question, please", he said, she nodded gravely. "Did you overhear my phone conversation earlier today?"

Her eyes widened, and he knew that she'd heard him, but now he wanted her to tell him that; to tell him the truth.

"Yes. I overheard it when I was about to knock, but you have to know that I didn't mean to eavesdrop", she said shyly, and he looked at her. She was ashamed. So she had heard him speaking, but she didn't mean it. But as he thought earlier, the conversation could be the main thing for her odd behavior.

Ana looked down, she felt embarrassed about him finding out. But he didn't look angry or upset; he looked like he was deep in thought about her confession.

"Christian, what are you thinking about?", she asked, and he looked her right in her eyes.

"Is it the conversation that made you change your behavior today?"

She knew that he wanted the truth, and the phone call was a part of her changing her actions today. But she actually felt quite under the weather since they had left the hotel, so her headache hadn't been an excuse to be alone.

"I want you to understand something before I answer. I do have a headache, and I haven't felt well this entire day. So it's not an excuse from me, and I need you to know that. But I will admit this; the conversation sounded… very much like you were talking about your feelings to a person, and it felt that you were talking about an affair or a relationship. Maybe it's me who made a mistake, but that's the way I interpreted it…", she said quietly. Not a sound was heard in the room except their breathing, and she almost wanted him to leave the room because of her confession. But then she felt a finger lifting her chin up, and she found herself looking into his grey, intense eyes.

"I just wanted you to tell me the truth, which you did. I'm sorry if my chat sounded that way, especially after what I said yesterday."

"Yeah, that was what I was questioning… Yesterday, you were so angry when cheating was mentioned, so you having an affair sounded a bit incredulous", she said and he started to chuckle.

"I do not, nor will ever have an affair. I haven't been cheated on, but monogamy is important to me, and I hope you understand that", he said, and she gave him a small smile.

"It's important to me too, so I'm glad you're on the same page. But can you be honest with me as well? Who were you talking to? And what were you talking about?", she asked, and she saw him tense up. He turned cold and protective.

"I'm sorry, but no."

She was turned down immediately, just after she'd been honest with him. Couldn't he even try to talk to her?

"That's it? I'm honest to you, and then you just refuse to show me the same respect right away?", she asked, hurt.

"Yes, that's it. I won't talk about it, and that's final."

"I thought that we were finally getting to know each other, can't you please try to let me in?"

He looked at her for a long time, but he showed no feelings; not even through his eyes. He was in business mode; cold and controlled. She knew his answer before he said it.

"No, I won't. Now, can we please drop the subject? We have dinner tonight at Benoit Paris at seven, and you need to rest", he said, while he stood up and went to leave the room.

But she wouldn't just drop it; he wanted answers. She walked up to him and attempted to touch his shoulder, but he quickly turned around and grabbed her hand.

"Don't touch me", he said sternly, and she was almost scared by his intense gaze. So he wasn't only unwilling to talk to her, but he also didn't like to be touched? And how had she not noticed that? Then she thought back to when they were painted, and their position. They'd been sitting in the chairs, and his arm had been draped around her shoulders. And their hands had been intertwined on his lap, but she hadn't touched his torso. She was brought back to reality when she realized that he'd let go of her hand, and was leaving again. She didn't care about his haphephobia; she just wanted to know why he didn't let her in.

"I will not let this go, Christian. We're married, and this honesty-thing shouldn't be one-sided", she said, but he remained cold as ice.

"You have no idea about anything, and I will not tell you anything at all. Understood?"

She felt like she was slapped across the face; they would never become anything else than stranger, and only be husband and wife formally.

"Just leave me alone. And cancel dinner", she said, before she went back to the bedroom and returned to her movie. When she heard the front door being closed, she felt tears coming down her face. He'd hurt her again, but if he wanted them to appear happy to the public and be strangers in private, fine.

The week in Paris flew by fast, but it didn't feel like it was her honeymoon. Ana thought of it as a movie; they acted for the cameras and people during the day, and went their separate ways when they arrived back to the hotel. It was exhausting, but it would be over soon. So tonight, she dressed herself in a short, purple dress with black heels and a shawl. Her hair was in a messy bun, and she wore some make-up. It was their last night, and she was going on a surprise date that Christian had arranged. He was dressed in a black suit with a white shirt, and when they walked through the lobby at the hotel, Ana swore that she saw most of the women swooning over him. When they were in a limousine, Christian turned to her.

"I'm sorry for doing this, but you're going to have to put this on", he said, and handed her a piece of black fabric; a blindfold.

"Really? Do I have to?"

"Yes, just do it already", he said a bit irritated, so she did it to keep the evening as nice as possible. A few minutes later, she felt the car stopping and Christian took her hand and led her to their destination.

"Can you lift your foot while you take this and the next step?"

"Don't let me fall", she said, and she heard him laugh. It was refreshing to joke with him, but as she took the next steps, they went back to their usual silence. Suddenly, they moved up and she tried to figure out where they were.

"Are we in an elevator or something?", she asked confused.

"Yes."

"But we're outside?", and another laugh was heard from him, before she felt him grab her hand as the elevator slowly went upwards. The minutes passed, but the elevator stopped after a while, and Christian led her away from it, she guessed at least.

"Okay, when I remove your blindfold, you're not allowed to open your eyes until I say so. Understood?", he said, and she nodded. She felt him remove her blindfold, and she kept her eyes shut.

"Okay, open your eyes now", he said softly.

She couldn't believe what she was saying; they were alone in the Eiffel Tower and saw entire Paris in the evening. It was breathtaking. Everything from Notre Dame to the Louvre was seen, and it was an remarkable sight. She turned to Christian who also observed the view with a small smile, and she caught his attention.

"I… I don't know what to say. Christian, this is amazing! How…?", she got out of her mouth, and he chuckled at her being speechless.

"No Paris visit is complete without visiting the Eiffel Tower and I figured that this would make the visit even more special", he said with a shrug.

"You were right; this is special. Thank you", she said, and Ana kissed him quickly on the cheek before turning back to the view. They just stood there; they weren't saying anything, they were just looking over Paris. After ten minutes, it was time to leave and they went back to the limo to get back. When they were back in the car, the romantic moment they'd been in was gone; it became awkward.

"It's always going to be like this, isn't it?"

His head turned towards her, confused. "What do you mean, Anastasia?"

"I mean this, us acting like strangers. We act in love to everyone else, but we don't even know each other. I mean, not even our families know about us! They think that we fell for each other because of how we behaved at your parents' house, and I don't want to tell them that this is a charade, even though I hate it!"

"Do you think that this situation is ideal to me?", he said, and she looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"I don't know, and I guess, nor will ever know; that was what you said, right? You made it clear that you won't let me in; no explanations. But I want to know you, and I want to know about our past, even though I've understood that I won't get that information from you. And I guess I'll learn to live with it, but right now, I'm tired of us being strangers", she said, and the car stopped right outside the hotel at the same moment.

Photographers were waiting for them to leave the car, so they both put a smile on their faces and walked in to the hotel and left for their suites. Ana didn't say a word, and left Christian alone the second she saw her suite. She'd left him thinking; he didn't think about her feelings at all, he concluded. And even though he didn't want her to know everything about his life, he wanted her to actually be happy; he did still care for her. When he walked into his suite, a plan was starting to form in his mind. He threw his jacket on the bed and took out his phone from his pocket. It was December 23rd; they were supposed to go back to the States the next day, and spend Christmas Day at his parents'. He made some calls; telling his pilot to fuel the plane, and letting his mother know that they would be a bit late on December 25th. Then he quickly packed his things, and called after a bellhop. He went into the honeymoon suite, and saw Ana sleeping. She looked peaceful. He packed her things as well, and asked the bellhop to call after a taxi that would take them to the airport. The bellhop left quickly, and Christian looked back at Ana. He then lifted her bridal style, and carried her down to the taxi. She slept through the ride and the flight, and when they arrived at their destination, he hoped that some of her questions would be answered that Christmas Eve.

A few hours later, Ana woke up in an unfamiliar environment. She felt disorientated; where the hell was she?! Then she looked to her right, and saw Christian reading a newspaper and drinking coffee.

"Christian? Where are we? And why are you in my room?", she asked confused, and he put the paper down.

"We're in London, and I'm going to give you some answers."

**Hey everyone! First of all, I have over two-hundred reviews! I can't believe it, you are amazing! Thank you, and I appreciate every single one! And I have almost one-hundred favs, which is amazing as well! I feel a bit overwhelmed. Anyway, I sorry that it took a while for this chapter to be posted, but here it is! And I'll try to get a new chapter out soon, but I have tons to do in school right now, and it's three weeks left of my school year, so please be patience with me! Anyway, I hope you like the chapter, and I promise that more drama will come in the next chapters. Please review!**

**/Fijah **


	13. Chapter 13

It took her a few minutes to progress what he said. _London? And what answers?_ She looked at him from the bed, as he returned to reading the newspaper in front of him. She was confused; was he able to do anything that he wanted? She looked around the room, or maybe suite was a better word… Once again, everything was perfect and it looked like the room had been taken straight from a magazine. A few minutes passed until she realized that she still was in her pajamas; a tight top with a pair of short shorts, and she pulled the sheets closer to her body. Ana heard his quiet chuckle, and she turned her head to see that he'd finished reading the magazine and was now observing her.

"Nice night attire", he said with a smirk, and she rolled her eyes.

"Can you leave the room for a minute or two? I want to change", she said, as she saw his eyes darkening.

"Don't roll your eyes. I'm in the living room, you have five minutes to get ready, and then we'll eat breakfast", and with that, he left the room.

As soon as the door closed, she rolled her eyes again. Maybe he didn't like it, but he didn't mention anything about her not doing when he didn't see it. Ana stretched before getting out of the bed, and when she did, she thought about something. This room wasn't decorated as the hotel rooms she used to stay in, and even though she wasn't used to expensive suites; this one did not look anything like the one she stayed in in Paris. She looked around, and saw a couple of doors to her right. She opened them and saw a huge walk-in-closet before her. It was the wardrobe every female dreamed of, except for one thing; the wardrobe was filled with men's wear. At that moment, she realized that they weren't in a hotel. _He owned an apartment in London?!_ She soon remembered that Christian was waiting for her, and she threw on an over-sized sweater and a pair of grey sweats. Hopefully, their day would contain a lot of talking, which meant that they wouldn't leave. She put up her hair in a pony-tail and walked out to him, and she saw him right away; he sat by a table, eating his breakfast as he caught her eye.

"I had pancakes made for us, eat", he said, and she sat down on the opposite side of the table and started to eat. She wanted breakfast out of the way, and she wanted him to start talking so she could begin to understand him and her past. So after five minutes, she'd eaten her course and was waiting for him.

"Is this your apartment?", she said, and Christian looked up.

"Yes. I bought it a few years ago. I consider London a wonderful city with many things to offer, have you been here before?"

"No, but I've always wanted to come here. I've always love English Literature; hence me studying it, and writers from Great Britain captivates me. The culture, the use of language, the society; everything from the past is mesmerizing. And a part of me have always wondered how it is now, and that made me want to come to the heart of Great Britain; London. A multicultural city, where the past and the future meet", she said, and she saw that he listened very carefully on every word that she spoke.

"Good point well made, Anastasia. Now, have you finished your breakfast?", he asked, and she nodded. "Good, can we start our conversation in the bedroom? I don't want the maid to hear what we're going to talk about."

She nodded again; not knowing what to say. He left his plate on the table, and she assumed that the maid he'd spoken about would take care of everything. But it felt weird! After an internal battle, she decided to leave the plates on the table, and then she followed Christian into the bedroom and closed the door behind her.

"Please sit, make yourself comfortable", he said, and he waved his hand towards the bed. She walked up to it and sat down by the headboard; her arms locked around her pulled-up knees. As she'd sat down on the bed, he walked up to the armchair he'd been sitting in before, and placed it by the bed. No one said anything; the silence was awkward and filled with tension.

"Christian, this is ridiculous. If you have anything to say, now is the time to start talking", she said as she looked up at the ceiling. The silence was still there, but then he broke it. In a way she didn't expect him to.

"I was adopted by Grace and Carrick when I was four. I was a very troubled child, and there are many things and people that have made me the man I am today. When Grace examined me for the first time, I felt like I had someone that wanted to take care of me; not someone who felt obligated to give me the essential things to have every day to survive. My birthmother was killed, and Grace persuaded Carrick into adopting me. But I had a hard time adjusting to my new life, which didn't go unnoticed by my parents. Elliot wasn't the best brother towards me, and I was afraid of everyone that came near me. It became a little bit better when Mia arrived, but the two things in my life that changed me when I was six were the piano and you", he said, and then he took a breath.

She was shocked to say the least. Ana didn't know what to do, so she just sat there and listen intently as he continued.

"I met you two days after you were born, and you were the most precious thing I'd ever seen. But one thing disturbed me, and that was that you looked like my biological mother. Her fate was horrible, and I made a vow to you that I would never let anything or anyone make you unhappy. I would always protect you".

"Why are you telling me all this?", she said shyly, and his gaze wandered to her curious but wary eyes.

"I'm giving you some insight in our past, and in my feelings. If you want me to stop, just say so", he said and she shook her head. "Then I'll continue. As the years went, we became closer and closer. And as I was becoming a teenager, my feelings for you changed, and I developed a crush, even though I didn't realize that it was a crush. I felt as if I betrayed you; I didn't want to treat you differently. I was supposed to protect you from harm, and the last thing I wanted to do was hurting you. So instead of realizing these feelings, I started to become violent in school. But when I was with you, I was happy and calm. But I was also miserable, because I knew that you would never look at me like I was anything else than your protector or older brother.

_Flashback_

_He sat outside with Mia and Elliot, and listened to music. Suddenly, a pair of hands covered his eyes and he started to smile._

"_Guess who?!"_

_He smiled even more, and pretended to think hard. "Is it Mia?"_

_Her giggle was heard, and the music he'd listened to a few seconds ago couldn't compare to the wonderful sound. _

"_No silly, it's me!", she said, and showed herself to him while giggling._

_He stood up and hugged her tightly, and she returned it eagerly. He'd missed her, even though they'd seen each other a few days ago._

"_Just like we thought, she ran away to Christian right away". _

_The children looked at the doors and saw Carla and Grace standing there, smirking at their children._

"_Hi auntie Grace!", she said, and ran to hug her god-mother. As she did that, Christian walked down to the boat-house. The day was warm and sunny, but he wore a long-sleeved sweater due to bruises and cuts he'd gotten from fights in school. He didn't want Ana to see them._

"_Christian, why did you go away?"_

_He turned around, and there she was. Dressed in a purple summer dress and her hair in a small ponytail, she looked completely ready for summer. _

"_Sorry, I just wanted to go down here", he said, even though he realized how weird that sounded._

"_It's okay, can I join you?", she said with a huge smile, and he nodded. "I have a question". _

"_You always have questions, miss nosy", he said, and she giggled again. "You really are your parents' daughter. Okay, your question; shoot."_

"_Why do you wear such a warm sweater today? It's so warm today", she said, and his eyes widened. There was the question he didn't want her to ask._

"_I was cold?"_

"_Are you lying to me?", she asked, and he heard the hurt in her voice. "You promised me to always be honest with me, so don't lie to me!"_

_He turned to her, and saw the tears in her big, blue eyes. _

"_I'm sorry; I shouldn't have lied to you. This is the reason", he said, and he rolled up his sleeves and showed her a few cuts and bruises on his right arm. She gasped at the sight, and looked him right in his eyes._

"_What happened to you?! Are you okay?", she asked worriedly, and he smiled slightly at her concern._

"_I'm fine, I just got into a fight at school. It could have been worse", he said with a shrug, and she glared at him. _

"_It's bad enough that you've been fighting, but I'm glad you're okay. Christian, you're always protecting me, and I want you to know that I'll always be there for you too. You're like family; my big brother. Just like you have my back, I have yours", Ana said, and hugged him. _

_As she was hugging him, he couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed. He couldn't understand why, but he ignored the feeling and concentrated on the girl hugging him instead._

_End flashback_

"When you left, I was ruined. The first thing I did was drinking from my father's private brandy, and I drank till I passed out. After that, my violence became worse, and I was sent to many therapists. When I was fifteen, I regained control in life, but I won't talk about that now", he said, and she just looked at him. She didn't remember how much it hurt for her to leave him, but he remembers. And to hear how close they used to be, she can understand why he's been wounded by her.

"I'm sorry; I never knew how this affected you… But I still have some questions, if you don't mind. Why are you afraid of being touched? And who is Elena? And who was that girl in your apartment?", she asked quietly.

"The reason for my haphephobia is from when I used to live with my birth mother, and I will not speak about that time. Elena is an old family friend, and I own a few businesses with her, and that's all. She and my mother are very close. And I refuse to answer the last question", he said, and left the room.

She looked at the doors after he left, and started to think about everything he'd shared with her. She did have more understanding about his behavior, and now she knew more of their former relationship. They'd been really close; she wished that she remembered anything, but she didn't. Ana stood up and walked out to the living room; she saw him by the piano. A slow, beautiful but torturous melody was brought to life by his fingers, and she sat down by the piano to listen to every single note. When he was done, he turned to her and looked at her.

"That was beautiful", she said, and he smiled slightly. "Now, I have something to say, and I want you to hear me out before you say something. Okay?"

"I'll listen".

"Good. So, I'm really thankful for what you shared with me, and I have a greater understanding in our former relationship now. I'm happy for that, but then I started to think. Ever since I came to Seattle, the thing I've been trying to do is to get to know more about our history, and that's not what I should have done. I've been trying to get to know the former Christian, that I used to know, and you've been trying to avoid me because of what happened then. But that's the past, and we should live in the present. We should know the Ana and Christian that lives in 2012. So my proposition is that we start over. Get to know each other now, and see what happens. So what do you say?"

He looked at her, and she waited anxiously for some kind of response. Then he stuck out his hand.

"Hello, my name is Christian Grey", he said with a smile, and she returned the smile as she shook his hand.

"Hi, I'm Anastasia Grey, but please call me Ana".

"Ana, pleasure to meet you."

**Hey! Almost 30 reviews for the last chapter?! You are seriously the best! Here's the new chapter, and I hope you'll like it. Not so much drama, but just you wait for the next chapter! I'll try to update as soon as I can, but I have my last things in school this week, and on Thursday it's my birthday, so I'll be busy with relatives. But I'll try to post within a week! Hope you like it!**

**/Fijah **


	14. Chapter 14

"I really can't believe that we're in London… I've always wanted to come here, and now that I'm here, we're leaving right away!"

She was sending a death glare towards Christian who chuckled at her outburst, as they were walking on Heathrow. They were about to fly back to the States and celebrate Christmas with the Grey family, Kate and Ethan. Ray wasn't able to join them, but he'd come for New Year's Eve, when the Greys' were throwing a huge party at their mansion.

"Stop laughing at me!", Ana said, but she couldn't keep a straight face when Christian continued to chuckle. They walked through a gate, to see the private jet and Clare standing by the door with a seductive smile.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Grey, we hope you enjoyed your stay in Paris and in London. The weather is a bit stormy over the Atlantic Ocean, but nothing that we can't get through. The flight will take about six hours, and let me know if you need anything during the flight", she said as she sent a wink to Christian, and Ana rolled her eyes towards her behavior.

"Thank you Clare, I think we'll have a bottle on Henri Jayer Cros Parantoux and some biscuits, but other than that, your services are not needed", Christian said, while he put his arm around Ana, who smiled at him. Clare frowned but did what she was ordered to, and left the couple alone while the flight took off.

The atmosphere on the plane was totally different from the flight to Paris. It had been stiff and tense, but this time, it was warmer and more joyful. Laughter was heard from Ana while Christian told all about one time when they'd been on the Seattle Times, when the Greys' had visited Carla, Ray and Ana during a day.

"_Christian!"_

_He turned around and was immediately embraced by the little girl in front of him. He laughed, and spun her around as he heard her giggle. _

"_Put me down!"_

_He looked at Ana and smiled, as she ran over to Grace and Carrick to welcome them to the building. Her parents join them soon, and they were making their way towards the top floor. Elliot and Mia were with friends, but Christian wanted to come, badly; he wanted to see Ana again. As they reached the office, Carla asked an assistant for some coffee and Ana started to tell Christian about her new school. _

"_I love my school; I'm having a blast! I got some new friends, and we're learning new things every day!", she said with enthusiasm, and Christian smiled._

"_That's great! Just, don't replace me…", he said, and averted his eyes from hers, but she made him look at her again._

"_Christian, no one will replace you as my closest friend! I've grown up with you, and you have always been there for me and supported me. You will always be my closest friend and I will always be yours, right?"_

"_Always"._

_As their parents conversation bored them out, and they sat in a corner in the office and played some cards. Suddenly, a mischievous look appeared in Ana's eyes, and she put her cards on the floor next to a confused Christian._

"_What are you doing?", he asked, but she shushed him and motioned to him to follow her. He slowly got up and walked after her without their parents noticing. _

"_Where are we going?", he asked, and Ana showed him a card._

"_Anywhere in the building, I have the keycard!"_

_They ran around, trying to figure out what to do. Suddenly they stopped when they ran into an employee named Daniel Williams._

"_Why are you running around here? Does your mother know about this?", he asked Ana with a stern look in his eyes, and she nodded innocently._

"_Yes, Mr. Williams. She gave me her keycard, and told us to be careful", she said, and he looked at her with a stern look, as he walked away._

"_Stupid kids, just running around… Just causing trouble for us hard working people…", he mumbled with an angry voice, as he walked towards the lunch room. _

_Christian looked at Ana, who didn't look very pleased. Christian thought that he'd been harsh, and that Mr. Williams had to understand that children like to play. But Ana's voice brought him out of his thoughts._

"_Hey Christian, do you have those walkie-talkies that my parents gave you on your birthday on you?"_

"_Yeah, why?", he asked confused, and she smirked at him._

"_We're going to get revenge". _

_The two children turned the walkie-talkies on and tested them before they entered the lunch room. Mr. Williams sat by a table with a few colleagues, as Ana approached them._

"_Mr. Williams? I just wanted to say that I and Christian are sorry for before, and that we'll be more careful in the future. We didn't want to cause any trouble", she said with a sad look on her face. As she did that, Christian crawled up to the chair Mr. Williams sat on and placed the walkie-talkie under it, and then he crawled away and left the room. _

"_Yeah yeah, can I eat my lunch now?", Mr. Williams said, and Ana nodded and left immediately. When she'd left the room, she walked up to Christian who sat hidden behind a plant with the other walkie-talkie in his hand._

"_Ready to do this?"_

_In the lunch room, a conversation about the current events in the society, as a farting sound came from David Williams._

"_That wasn't me, why are you all looking at me?", he said, and another sound was heard. All the employees had turned their attention towards him; fighting to hold in their laughter. The sounds came again and again, and David looked around the room like a maniac, as the laughter was heard. _

_Christian and Ana couldn't contain the laughter that came out of their mouths, but after a few seconds, their parents faces popped up in front of them._

"_So, what are you doing?", Carla asked with an amused grin, while they tried to hide the walkie-talkie and look as innocent as possible._

"_Nothing mom, we're just playing", Ana said, and Christian nodded in agreement._

"_Playing huh? Playing with someone special? Like… Mr. Williams?", Grace said, and they couldn't help it as the laughter left their mouths. _

"_We're sorry, but he was mean to us before, and it's just a prank", Christian said in their defense, and the grown-ups smiled._

"_Come on now, we're going to the lunch room"._

_As they arrived, David Williams stood in the middle; furious, with the walkie-talkie in his hand. When he saw Ana and Christian, he pointed at them and started walking towards them, but a flash of light distracted him. Carrick took a picture of him, and gave the camera to Ray, who quickly left the room. _

_The next day, Ana and Christian laughed when the read the newspaper:_

_Employee of the Seattle Times tricked by the prince and princess of Seattle!_

"He must have been so mad!"

"He was, believe me. He quit as few months later, and called the Seattle Times a playground for children. But instead of losing readers, the paper gained more", Christian said, and Ana giggled before her face became serious.

"We really were close… And I can't imagine the pain you felt when we left. I just want to say that I'm sorry, for everything", she said, and Christian's intense eyes looked in hers.

"Don't be sorry. Sure, I was mad, but I realize why you did it and you have nothing to be sorry for. And like you said; the past is the past, and we have to live in the present. We'll get to know each other again, and see what happens", he said, and she smiled. London had really changed their relationship, and she liked the new him. But Ana knew that he still hid himself from her, and that it would take time for Christian to trust her, and for her to trust him. But for now they focused on the present time.

"Oh and by the way, I have a gift for you", he said and her head snapped up.

"Seriously?", and he nodded. "But Christmas is tomorrow, why not wait till then?"

"I want to give you this while we're alone, and this seemed like a good opportunity since we're practically alone on this plane", he said, and she darted off. "Where are you going?"

She came back with a present bag in her hand, and smiled.

"I have a gift for you too."

She placed the bag on the table in front of him, and he gave her a similar bag.

"You can open your first. I didn't know what to get you, since we've only known each other for a few months, but I hope you like it", Ana said, and he opened the box to find a silver Sky-Dweller Rolex watch with his name engraved.

"Do you like it?"

He looked up and smiled. "It's perfect, and I just happened to need a new watch. I've actually been looking for one. Thank you so much", he said, and she relaxed and smiled hugely. "Okay, I have two things for you. Open the big one first".

She took up a rectangular object and it felt like a book, and she opened the object to find one. But as she opened it, she didn't find a story as she expected; there were pictures of her, her family and the Greys' with text captions beneath them. A photo album.

"I know that we're focusing on the present time, but I figured that you still want to find out about your past. My mother had this, but I said that I wanted you to have it", he said and she looked at him and smiled, as she took up the second present which was a blue velvet box. As she opened it a gasp left her mouth. The locket was beautiful; silver, with a rose and a butterfly displayed to the world with small diamonds and sapphires. Ana was speechless.

"Open it", he said, and she obeyed with shaky hands.

Inside the locket, there were four photos; two on each side. The first one was on Carla, Grace, Carrick, Elliot and Mia; a few of the most important people in her childhood. The second one was of her, Ray and Kate; her father and her best friend. On the second side of the locket, two other photos were displayed. The first one showed two children, sitting together and watching a sunset by the Sound in Seattle. Ana quickly understood that it was her and Christian, and when she saw the second picture, she realized that it was the photo she took in Versailles. Not a fake-happy picture a hired photograph had taken. One that was taken by them.

"I saw this locket in a little shop in Paris, and I couldn't help but think of you when I saw it; it was the perfect gift. And when they told me that the locket could hold four pictures, I wanted them to include the most important people of your life. I know that you and I are on two of the pictures, but I wanted it to show you that I'll do my best to be here for you, and that we'll might regain the bond we once shared", he said, and tears were forming in her eyes.

"Christian, I'm in awe. This locket is amazing and absolutely beautiful, and very thoughtful of you. I don't even know what to say, except thank you", she said, as the tears spilled. He smiled towards her, and walked to her side and took the locket from her hands. He put it on her neck and she smiled, but yawned soon after.

"I'm sorry, I'm quite tired. I thought about popping in a movie and fall asleep to it, would you like to join me?", she asked, and he looked at her.

"I'd like that".

The next few days flew by and spending time with the family had been wonderful. Everyone, especially Kate and Mia, wanted details on everything that happened on the honeymoon, and Christmas had been a pleasant time. But now, it was the last day of the year, and Ana and Christian were getting ready at their house, along with Ray who'd joined them the day before. Their family had noticed a change in the young couple; they were more relaxed with each other after their honeymoon, and they seemed happier. They hadn't missed their Christmas gifts for each other either, that was proudly worn by them every day.

In the house, Christian, along with Ray and Taylor, stood by the entrance and waited for Ana to come down. When they heard her steps, they all turned to the stairs and saw her. She was a beauty. She was dressed in a short silver dress with a low back, and complimented it with black accessories and shoes. Her hair was up in a high bun and her make-up around the eyes was light while her lips were deep red. Christian walked up to her and gave her a small peck on the cheek.

"Ana, you look breathtaking", he said, and she smiled shyly.

"Thank you and you look very handsome. And aren't you quite dashing dad?", she said with a grin, and Ray chuckled.

"Thanks baby girl, but tonight, all eyes will be on you and your husband", he said teasingly and she giggled, while Christian grasped her hand in his.

"Let's go, we wouldn't want to be late".

The Greys' mansion didn't disappoint as always. Lights were seen everywhere, and decorations in gold, silver and white covered black backgrounds. The night was young and everyone was mingling. As Christian's wife, Ana was introduced to many different business men and associates of him during the evening, but she managed to spend time with the Greys and Kate as well. Kate and Elliot had decided that they were going to move in together while she and Christian were away, and she couldn't be happier for her best friend. And when she pointed out that they could become real sisters, they couldn't stop giggling.

As she stood beside Christian, she felt the need to step outside for a minute. The clock was five to twelve any way, but she wanted to get some fresh air alone for a minute.

"Christian, can you meet me outside by midnight? I just need some fresh air before the fireworks".

"Okay, I'll see you in a few minutes", he said with a slightly concerned look, but she shook her head to tell him that everything was okay.

Outside, she walked to the place beside the boathouse where they'd spent much time in the past. The soothing sound of the water and the wind gave her peace for a headache that she'd had for a few hours, but after a few seconds, she felt a presence coming closer.

"Christian, I told you I was… fine", Ana said, but soon realized that it wasn't Christian, but a striking woman with blonde hair and a tight black dress.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but I have to speak with you Anastasia".

"Who are you, and how do you know who I am?", Ana said confused, and the woman chuckled.

"That doesn't matter right now. What matters is Christian, and that's the one I'm here to talk with you about. You two don't belong together. You're only hurting him, you little bitch, and if you ever think that you'll be able to become his wife for real, then you're wrong and naïve. So get a divorce, and leave Seattle for good, again. I'm sure you know how to do that by now. And hurting and using Christian seems to be a hobby of yours now…"

"Ana, there you are", Christian said as he approached the two women, and Ana looked up at him with big eyes. She was about to speak as the blonde woman beat her to it.

"Christian, I've missed you. Long time, no see."

"I agree, but you know that I've been busy. It's wonderful to see you again, but I don't think that you've had the pleasure of meeting my wife", he said, and Ana found her voice again and looked the woman in her eyes.

"Hello, I'm Anastasia, but everyone calls me Ana. Nice to meet you."

Good evening Ana, the pleasure's all mine. My name is Elena, Elena Lincoln."

**Hi everyone!**

**I'm terribly sorry for not writing for almost a month, again… I feel really bad, and that's why I'm up late finishing this chapter for you when I have work in the morning. I've had a bit of writers block, but the main reason for me not updating has been personal issues, but the situation is under control now and I will try to update at least once a week during this summer. No guarantees though! Anyway, as always, your reviews make my day, and please keep reviewing! It makes me so happy to read your comments! And don't give up on me yet, I'm starting to write the next chapter tomorrow. So it will be up soon!**

**Love**

**Fijah **


	15. Chapter 15

When the name Elena was heard from the woman's mouth, she became shocked. When she and Christian had been in London, he'd spoken about her when business was mentioned. Ana knew that she'd also been a close friend during some of his teenage years, but he never mentioned what had happened. But she quickly realized that she was being very quiet, and both Christian and Elena were looking at her.

"I'm sorry, I was lost in thoughts. What were you saying?", she asked, and Elena smiled.

"I wondered what you thought about Paris; it's one of my favorite cities", she said politely, and Ana looked at her with a small smile.

"Paris was extremely beautiful; a city that combines romance, culture and the modern society. But I still prefer London, even though we only stayed for one night", she answered in a joking tone, and looked at Christian mischievously. He chuckled, and for a second, Ana swore that she saw Elena glare at her.

"Ah, London is a wonderful city as well, but personally, I prefer Paris. I think that I'm there at least five times a year", she said, as Christian looked at the time. 11.58 pm.

"Elena, it's been nice seeing you, but the New Year is about to begin so I'll take my wife down to a spot by the water. But we'll have to catch up about the salon during the week, so I'll email you", Christian said with a nod, and Elena left them after saying a quick good-bye.

He led her down to a spot where they'd spent a lot of time when they were children; the spot hid them away from the others. In the background, they heard music from the mansion, and people had made their way down on the lawn. The stars were shining brightly, and they were reflected in the water; it was a perfect night. Suddenly, they heard the other guests.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one… HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Fireworks made their way up to the sky, and made it even more beautiful. Different colors and patterns were displayed, and Ana and Christian stood in awe and looked at it. The New Year's kiss wasn't mentioned; they didn't want to risk their new friendship. Instead, they just stood there and enjoyed the moment; together.

But Ana felt dizzy and tired, even though she hadn't drunk much during the night. At first, she thought that it was a normal headache. But it became worse, and she didn't feel good at all.

"Christian? Can we go somewhere where I can rest for a minute?", and after hearing that, he became worried.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just have this headache, and after I've rested for a couple of minutes, I'll be as good as new. I just need some peace and quiet", she said, and he nodded as he took her hand.

"I have the perfect place for you."

She followed him back to the house, and up the stairs. She'd never been here in the last couple of months; only on the ground floor of the Grey mansion. Ana saw a lot of different rooms as she walked in the corridors but then, they came to another staircase, only smaller, and Christian waited for her by it.

"After you."

She looked at him, and then started to walk up the stairs to another room. This time, she didn't reach an entire corridor of room; only one door. The door had a name plate on it:

_Christian's Room._

She turned around and looked him straight in his eyes; a shocked expression was shown by her face.

"This is the perfect place for me to rest? Your old room?"

"Yeah, why not? It's quiet, and nobody will come up here. After you left Seattle, I became a loner, and I spent most of my time here, where nobody came looking. My parents and siblings my wish to be left alone, even though it left them heartbroken at times. So in a way, this was my sanctuary, and I hope that it can give you some time to rest before we join the party again", he said, with a small smile. And she was touched by his thoughtfulness.

"Thanks. I'll only need a couple of minutes, but could you bring me a glass of water and an advil? Please?", she asked, and he nodded as he produced a key, which she looked at with curiosity.

"It's the key to my room. Like I told you, I'm a private man. But please, make yourself comfortable, and I'll be back in a couple of minutes", he said, and left her.

Ana turned around, and put the key in the lock. She turned it around and opened the door slowly, and saw the childhood bedroom of her husband. It was quite simple; a bed, desk, book case, some shelves, a TV and a computer. But pictures were placed all around the room, and she looked at them. There were several of him, Mia and Elliot. In Paris, Tokyo, New York, London, Aspen. Grace and Carrick were also in a few pictures shown in the room, but she also found a photo album. When she opened it, she saw herself. Sitting on a swing and laughing as Christian pushed. The entire album showed their friendship during the years, and she wanted to keep looking, but her head pounded too hard for her to even think, so she put it down. But then she saw another photo; a woman with brown hair and blue eyes. She didn't recognize her at all, and had never heard Christian mention her. She was beautiful, but the photo seemed old. She wanted to know who she was, but as soon as she was to pick up the photo, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She screamed, and after she heard Christian scream her name, everything became black.

_She was in her room and packed a backpack; she was going to spend the weekend with the Grey's and she couldn't be more excited. She hadn't seen Christian since her birthday, and she missed him. They had talked with each other, but she missed seeing him and getting that feeling of being secure, which she got every time she looked into his eyes. It had always been that way; he was her protector. Whatever was wrong in her life, he was always there. He was her rock. After finishing her packing, she sat down on her bed. She looked at her nightstand and the five photos that were placed there. The first one was of her biological father, so she would always remember the man that brought her to life. The second photo was of Elliot and Mia; two persons that meant so much. They were like siblings. Elliot was the older brother that played pranks on her, but always had her back when someone picked on her. Mia was like a sister; they talked about girlstuff and loved to shop together, in their parents company of course. The third picture displayed her godparents; Grace and Carrick. They were her second mom and dad, according to her. Ana loved them and looked up to them. But the last two pictures meant the most to her. One of them was of her mom, dad and herself. Carla and Ray were the best parents ever, and she loved them to the moon and back. Even though Ray wasn't her real father, he was her dad. She grew up with him as a father figure, and would always consider him as her father. Carla was her role model, and the most loving mom. She didn't know who she would be without her mom. Ana couldn't describe the love she had for her mom. The second one and the last photo on her nightstand was of herself and Christian. Another person she couldn't imagine life without. He was her rock, her protector, her best friend. _

_A knock distracted her, and she looked at the door and saw her dad smiling at her. She put down the photo and walked up to him, and greeted him with a hug. _

"_Hi daddy, what's up?"_

"_I just came to say that mommy's a bit late, and she'll try to be here in about half an hour. So you can watch some TV or play with your dolls in the meantime", Ray said with a smile, and Ana nodded. He kissed her quickly on the forehead, and then left her alone again. She sat down on her bed again and turned on the TV. But what she saw left her speechless. _

"_Daddy! Come here and look! Isn't that mommy?", she said, and Ray ran in and started to watch the news on the TV. There was a hostage at the Bank of America, and through the windows you could see some of the persons inside the bank. There was Carla Steele standing, not know that her husband and daughter could see her. The robbers were standing right in front of her, a gun pointed at her, and Ray took his daughter in his arms. He couldn't let her see anything that was going to happen. A faint gunshot was heard from the TV, and Ray Steele saw his wife fall down on the floor; dead. He broke down, and Ana understood that her mom was gone. Forever. She started to cry, and Ray tried to support her. No one said a word during the next hour; the grief became too much. Suddenly she broke loose from her dad's embrace. _

"_I want to leave Seattle."_

_Ray couldn't believe the words that had left his daughter's mouth. _

"_Sweetheart, what are you talking about?", he asked confused._

"_I want to leave, I want to go anywhere. But I don't want to live here. Seattle took my mother's and my biological father's life, and I can't stand living here anymore. Please dad, can't we just move? Leave Seattle forever?"_

"_But Ana, what about the Greys'? Are you sure that you just want to pack everything up and leave? And what about Christian?", Ray asked concerned, and Ana looked him in the eyes._

"_I'm sure; I can't live here anymore. I don't want to be connected to anyone here anymore, not even Christian", she said, and looked away. _

"_Fine, I'll make the arrangements. Pack everything you want to, and meet me by the door in twenty minutes", Ray said, and left the room with a sigh._

_Ana looked around her; her room was filled with memories. The times with the Greys', all the moments with her mom and dad; everything. And now, her mom was dead. Her eyes fell on the photo of her and Christian, and she pick it up once again. She was going to leave him, forever. The pain in her heart increased, and she felt the anger and pain flowing through her veins. She threw the photo on the ground and saw the glass shatter. She then picked up the photo and looked at it closely. She and Christian sat by the water and she leaned her face on her shoulder. They smiled hugely at the camera. Ana looked at it closely, before ripping it to pieces. Then she walked up to her window and watched every piece being taken by the wind. It was like that was her farewell to Seattle. All she wanted to do now was forget. A knock on the door was heard again, and there was her dad._

"_Ana, you need to wake up. We need you to come back. Please wake up."_

"_But daddy, I'm here. I'm awake, let's get out of here now", she said confused. Then a second voice appeared._

"_Ana please. Don't leave us. We all need you, and I need you. Please Ana", she heard Christian say, and she became even more confused. Christian wasn't there; it was herself and her dad. Suddenly the room disappeared and everything became white. She looked around, but she didn't see anything. She only heard an annoying beeping sound, and it only grew stronger. White suddenly changed to black, and voices grew stronger._

"_Please wake up."_

_So she woke up. She opened her eyes._

Her eyes had a hard time to adjust to the light, and she felt confused. Where was she? Ana was laying on a bed in a white room, and right next her, she heard the beeping sound. It came from a heart monitor. She was at the hospital. Just when she realized that, Christian and a doctor walked in the room. Christian sat down by her side right away, and kissed her hand quickly.

"Good evening Mrs. Grey, my name's Jane Beckett, and I'm your doctor here. How are you feeling?"

"Sore, tired, confused. What's going on?", she asked and looked at Christian.

"Well, when I was on my way back to my room, I heard you scream and when I came up, you were lying on the floor, unconscious. You've been here for three days now", he said, and he looked tired but relieved.

"Mrs. Grey, have you been stressed during the last couple of weeks? And especially during New Year's Eve?", Dr. Beckett asked, and she turned her attention back to her doctor.

"A bit, we got married about three weeks ago, and planning a wedding is stressful. Then I was threatened during the party we attended; she wanted me to leave my husband. That was about fifteen minutes before I collapsed", she said, and she felt Christian stiffened beside her.

"Alright, I have a few more tests, but I'll come back in about ten minutes", and the doctor left the pair alone.

"Did Elena threaten you?"

The question didn't surprise her, but his behavior did. He'd been loving and supportive a minute ago. Now he was cold.

"Yes, I was going to tell you. She was calling me a bitch, and said that I was hurting you and that I should divorce you. You have to believe me, I'm telling you the truth", she said, desperation in her eyes. Christian looked at her, and noticed the tears that were forming in those beautiful blue eyes, and he understood that she told him the truth.

"It's okay, I believe you. I'll talk to her about it when you're out of here. But focus on yourself now. You really scared us", he said, and more tears fell from her face.

"I know, I'm so sorry…"

"Hey, don't be sorry. You couldn't help what happened. Just relax Ana", Christian said, and that's what she did. But Dr. Beckett came in instead and looked at her with concern.

"Mrs. Grey, I have good and bad news for you", she said. "The good news is that you're not having any internal bleedings or any damages on the brain. So you will be free to leave tomorrow evening. But we have some bad news as well. In your fall, you hit your stomach and we found out that you were about three weeks pregnant, Mrs. Grey. And I'm sorry to say that you've suffered a miscarriage."

**Hey Guys!**

**I'm truly sorry for the delay on this chapter, but at least it's here now. There are a few personal reasons for the delay, but I'm dealing with everything right now. The next chapter will come out during this week, and I promise that it won't be delayed. And I want to thank you for sticking around for Tied Together, and keep reviewing for every chapter! You are amazing, so I just want to thank you for brightening my days with your reviews. **

**Love, Fijah **


	16. Chapter 16

It was like the world froze.

_A miscarriage._

Christian stiffened beside her, and she couldn't even realize what was happening. It was impossible… right? She'd only slept with one man, and it was Christian on their wedding night, and he'd used a condom. She was sure of it. But maybe it broke? Is that why she'd been feeling under the weather the last week? Did all the stress she suffered kill her baby? Then Ana realized; I was _pregnant_. She had made a life with Christian, and now, he or she was gone. _Dead_. She felt awful. Even though she didn't know about it until now, she felt responsible. And another life had been taken away in her home town.

Ana was so lost in thought that she didn't comprehend that the doctor talked to her about seeing a therapist, due to the horrible news. And as soon as she realized that Dr. Beckett had been speaking, she was gone. So she was alone in the room, with Christian. He sat like a statue; he didn't speak or react in any way. She didn't know what to do or say; Ana felt helpless. But then, she heard him inhale a sharp breath.

"How could you?"

She became confused, what did he mean?

"How could I what?"

"Oh, you know, sleep with another man?! Anastasia, when we slept together, I used a condom. Clearly, that _child_ couldn't have been mine!", he said, rage evident in his voice, and she froze again.

"You really think that I cheated on you? Are you serious?", she asked, as she was blown away by his question. The only man who'd hit on her during the last weeks was that creep in Paris, and he'd been the one that scared him away. And even though she didn't know the status of their marriage, she believed in monogamy. She would never cheat.

"Yes, now answer my question."

"I didn't cheat on you, the condom must've broken. Christian, this child was yours, and it couldn't have been anyone else's", she said, and hoped that he believed her. But he didn't.

"How can you be sure? An old friend from college, or a strange in Paris?", he said, and she felt the fury in her veins.

"Because the only man I've slept with is you! I was a virgin on our wedding night, which you obviously didn't know. But I haven't slept with anyone ever, except you! That's why I'm certain that the child was yours!", she almost shouted, and then she fell against her pillow, exhausted. She needed rest, not more stress in her life. And she needed support, from Christian.

He froze again. She'd been a virgin? And then he'd caused so much stress in her life that she'd suffered a miscarriage? He didn't know what to do. He didn't know how to control the situation. So he ran.

"I have to go, I'll be back tomorrow", he mumbled, and left her. But as soon as he closed the door to her room, he heard Ana's sobs. It broke his heart, and he realized that he'd broken the promise he'd given her during their childhood. _I'll never hurt you, and I'll always protect you_. He'd hurt her, and he didn't know if he could ever be forgiven. She obviously didn't know about the pregnancy, due to her reaction to the news. And even though he felt bad for causing Ana harm, he felt relieved. He didn't want children. He didn't know if he could ever raise a human being, or become a good father and role model. Not with his past. He knew that he had to tell Ana about his resilience to have kids, but not now. She had to grief, and he needed to think; alone.

When he heard the familiar ding from the elevator at Escala, he relaxed a bit. He entered his living room, and went straight to the piano. He needed to take out him feelings on something, and the piano seemed like an excellent idea. A raw, angry and hopeless melody was formed; it displayed his emotions perfectly. He's lost all his control, and it was like his worst nightmare. Everything in his life was a mess; just when he'd thought that it would fall into place after London. They'd worked on their relationship together, and now, he didn't know if it could be repaired. Especially after he left her.

A knock made him come back to reality, and he saw Elena standing by the door, waiting for a reaction.

"What are you doing here?", he said in a cold voice, and he saw the shock in her eyes. She wasn't used to him treating her like this, he knew that.

"Christian, I heard about Ana, and I came as quickly as I could. Is she alright?", Elena asked, and he could see how much she cared about his wife in her eyes. Not at all.

"Elena, you don't care about Anastasia at all. And you don't have to fucking pretend that you care about my wife. So if you don't have a real reason for being her; fucking leave already", he said, and the shock became evident in her entire body.

"I don't know what you talking about, why wouldn't I…"

"Shut up! Ana told me at the hospital, what you did… How could you?", he asked, as his voice cracked, and Elena became cold as ice.

"I did what I know is the best for you. She will only cause you pain, like she did sixteen years ago. I helped you become the man you are today, and I won't let you lose everything because of _her_", and she said the last word with disgust.

"What happened, happened, and we're moving on. Then I hear about you, threatening my wife and telling her to divorce me! Elena, I've loved her since I was eleven, and I still do. So I won't let you try to break us apart. I will no longer be your partner, but as a thank you for everything you've done for me, the parts I own in the companies will be yours", he said.

"Are you joking with me?! Christian, your control is slipping, and she is going to ruin your life once again. And you're not even realizing it. I'm not the problem here, she is", Elena said, and Christian rose from the piano stool and stood in front of her.

"You don't know anything about Ana, or our relationship. And you will not intervene, because our partnership and friendship are finished. I hurt Ana when I left her, and it kills me. The only thing that comforts me is that I was able to do this. End something poisonous in my life, because I'm not a Dom anymore. I'm a married man in a monogamous relationship with my wife. And you're not a part of my life anymore. So leave now. Goodbye Elena", he said, and walked over to the kitchen, as she stood still; speechless. But she recovered soon, and started to walk over to the elevator. But before she entered it, she spoke again.

"You'll understand your mistake soon, and we'll see how much control you'll have over the situation then. This isn't the last you're going to see of me, so it's not a goodbye, Christian. I'll see you later", she said, and then she disappeared.

He sighed, and poured himself a glass of scotch. As he drank the liquid, he stood by the window and looked over Seattle. He could see the hospital Ana was staying at, and he thought about everything that had happened that day. He needed to protect her, but he didn't know how. _He felt helpless_. Christian hated the lack of control, and tried to figure out solutions for the situation. But he didn't come up with any. He needed guidance, and he needed a light in the darkness. But he didn't know where he could get it. When he'd drunk his scotch, he went into the bedroom, and lay down on the bed. He needed rest; he needed clarity.

_He heard the giggle, but he couldn't locate it. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and trees and flowers were blooming in the meadows. It was close to lunchtime, and he played hide and go seek in the garden. _

"_Where could you be?", he said teasingly, with a happy smile on his face. It grew into a smirk when he heard more giggles, and he heard it from a few bushes five yards away. He walked forward slowly, but didn't want to get caught._

"_Alright, I guess that you're not here, so I'll go look in the kitchen, I think I smelled Ms. Jones' delicious brownies", he said, and the child fell into the trap._

"_BROWNIES", he said, and walked forward from his hiding place, not realizing Christians trap. He was caught from behind and squealed with delight._

"_PUT ME DOWN!", he shouted, with glee._

"_What's the magic words, Teddy?", he asked, as he started to tickle the little boy. Teddy started to squirm and laugh, as Christian continued to tickle him._

"_Won't say them!", he said between laughing fits, and Christian laughed a carefree laughter. But suddenly, a third voice interrupted._

"_Boys, lunch is ready!", and Teddy reacted right away._

"_FOOD!"_

_Another laugh was heard from Christian, as he saw his son run towards his mom and the food, which Ms. Jones had prepared. He walked up to his family, and put his hand on his wife's stomach. She was pregnant again. He couldn't ask for anything more, he realized, as he saw his son sitting by the table and playing with Taylor and he felt a few kicks from his unborn child. Nothing could ruin his happiness. But his wife brought him out of his thoughts, and he smiled down at her. _

"_Are you happy, Mr. Grey?", she asked, and he looked deep into her stunning blue eyes that he loved._

"_I'm very happy, Mrs. Grey", he said with a smile, and leaned in for a kiss._

Suddenly, he woke up. He felt disoriented at first, but quickly remembered everything that had happened. He looked a watch; 3.12 am. Christian knew how late it was, but he didn't care. He needed to be with Anastasia; he needed to be there for her, and know that she was okay. So he called Jason.

"_Sir? Why are you calling this late?_", he asked with sleep in his voice.

"Taylor, I need you to take me to the hospital from Escala. Mrs. Grey is there, and I need to be there with her", he said, and he heard him getting up and starting to get ready.

"_I'll be there in ten_", Taylor said, and then hung up.

When he arrived at the hospital, he became nervous. He didn't know how she would react, and he felt the control slip away again. But this wasn't the time to chicken out; he needed to be there for her. So he opened the door, and saw her sleeping on the bed. Christian walked up to her, and sat down by her side. Ana's face was tearstained, but she looked peaceful in her sleep; like nothing had happened. She stirred, and slowly woke up. Their eyes met, and he saw tears forming in hers.

"Why did you leave?", she whispered, and it almost broke his heart.

"I don't know, but I'm here now. And I won't leave you again", he said, as he took her hand in his. She looked him in the eyes as a tear betrayed her, but he wiped it away. Her blue eyes showed exhaustion, but he saw her fighting to stay awake; like it was a dream.

"Go to sleep, Anastasia", he whispered, but she hesitated.

"Will you still be here when I wake up?", she whispered quietly, and he looked her in the eyes again. She was afraid of his answer, and he knew that the words that he would utter could either break her or make her feel safe. But he stayed quiet, and kissed her forehead.

"Go to sleep, I'll be here."

**Hey everyone!**

**Your response is amazing, and makes my day, as always! The fact that you like Tied Together is wonderful, and I really hope you liked this chapter! But, I won't be able to post a new chapter for at least a week, because I'm visiting my grandma and grandpa this week, so no chapters until after next Monday. But please review, and tell me what you think! **

**Much love!**

**/Fijah **


End file.
